


Halo - Termination

by IX404



Category: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms, Terminator - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Crossover, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:21:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 88,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27535174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IX404/pseuds/IX404
Summary: Near the end of the Covenant - UNSC War, the Covenant thought Humanity was finished. Little do they know is that they will soon meet their worst nightmare: A remorseless, emotionless and utterly relentless machine. It's goals: Protect Humanity, and Terminate the Covenant.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 18





	1. A New World, A New War

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone, I am IX404 and welcome to my first Halo - Terminator crossover. It's a privilege to be writing a crossover that combines two of my favorite science fiction franchises into a single whole. Having found massive success with this crossover on FanFiction.Net, I have decided to begin bringing this crossover to Archive of Our Own. Either way, thank you for this wonderful opportunity, and I hope to see you in later chapters. If you like what you read, or you have ideas to share, please let me know in the comments section below, or give me a kudo if you want. Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Terminator franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Carolo Pictures, Hemdale, Skydance Productions, 20th Century Fox, Lightstorm Entertainment, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers, producers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.

**Terminator 2 OST – Main Theme**

_3 billion lives were lost on August 29_ _th_ _, 1997. The survivors of the nuclear fire named the war after a event from_ _religious_ _literature. They'd only lived to see a new nightmare: the war against the machines._

_For many years, the survivors were penned up like cattle for the slaughter in robot run concentration camps. Day and night, the incinerators and disposal units burned with a fire like none other. Those that were not killed were forced to work, constantly disposing bodies before their own were disposed._

_But then, just a few years after the nuclear fire, a single man rose up, and taught the survivors how to fight back, how to turn the machines that enslaved them into scrap metal. In a few months, the war against the Machines, the Future War, turned around in favor of Humanity. Concentration camps were liberated, automated factories taken or destroyed, and machines reduced to heaps of scrap metal._

_Over the years, a worldwide coalition was created. Formed from the survivors of the war, and any military organizations that survived, the Resistance grew in strength and sophistication, allowing Humanity to fight back more effectively._

_The Machines also adapted as well, creating new, more horrific means of destroying human beings. For nearly 27 long years, the Machines and the Resistance was caught in a stalemate, with both sides becoming increasingly more sophisticated, yet never able to overcome each other. Eventually, through skill and ingenuity, the Resistance began to gain ground, driving back the Machines further and further._

_Sensing it's imminent defeat, the Computer that controlled the Machines, Skynet, sent two machines, called Terminators, back in time. Their mission: to destroy the leader of the Resistance: John Connor, Sarah Connor's son. The first Terminator was sent back to the year 1984 to kill Sarah Connor before she could give birth to John Connor._

_It failed._

_The second Terminator was sent back to kill John Connor himself, when he was just a boy._ _The third was sent back in time to just a few months before Skynet's defeat, to kill a Resistance soldier, who delivered vital intelligence on how to defeat Skynet._

_As before, the Resistance sent members of their own back in time, protectors for John Connor, and the Resistance agent. It was merely a question of which ones would reach them first._

* * *

**Cheyenne Mountain**

**Time Displacement Equipment Chamber**

**August 29th, 2029**

John Connor felt both a sense of dread, and a sense of relief. Standing in the chamber holding the Time Displacement Equipment, or TDE, he watched as Tech-Com engineers and technicians went to work on getting the TDE online and operational. Men and women alike scrambled left and right in order to get the machine fully operational.

Rubbing the back of his head, he thought back to the events that had brought them to this point in time. Roughly 31 years ago, when he was a young man, the United States of America created an advanced, defense AI that was designed to protect the US from any threats to it's populace. Code named 'Skynet', it was believed that the installation of an AI that would take over all major strategic decisions would allow America to protect it's people while striking at any enemy with impunity. It nearly turned out to be Mankind's executioner.

On the same day as today, roughly 31 years ago, Skynet was connected to every defense network in the United States. Much to everyone's surprise, and alarm, Skynet began to learn at a geometric rate, an indication that the AI was evolving. A technological singularity had just occurred, and there was no one that could stop it. In a panic, the engineers and scientists monitoring Skynet attempted to pull the plug, to destroy the AI itself. Acting out of self-defense, the AI fired all of the United States ICBM's (InterContinental Ballistic Missiles) at the newly formed Russian Federation. The retaliation led to the scenario that had been hoped to be avoided: a nuclear war that devastated much of Western Civilization.

In the aftermath, roughly 3.2 billion people had survived, with some not even knowing that a nuclear war had just taken place. Skynet, however, decided that all human beings were a threat to it's existence, and began creating HK's, Hunter Killer drones, in order to round up the surviving human beings and place them in concentration camps. Those that lived were forced to dispose of bodies around the clock, with little food, water and rest. That was when John Connor, who'd been preparing for this his entire life, sent out a rallying cry to all that would listen. If they banded together and fought as one, they would be able to defeat the Machines, once and for all. Desperate for any kind of reprieve, the surviving military organizations, and those that had survived, answered his rallying cry and began fighting back.

Initially surprised by the level of resistance it was now facing, Skynet began to create new designs in order to counter this new threat. The creation of Terminators, bipedal killing machines, allowed Skynet to fight back as well. Phased Plasma Rifles, HK drones, and any forces Skynet could bring to bear were sent at the Resistance. _That was when the war turned around,_ Connor thought to himself, a grim smile as he remembered the next set of events. Despite heavy losses initially, the Resistance had thrived, creating new technologies, taking valuable positions, until it was able to create it own Terminators. It seemed as though the war would be a constant stalemate.

That was when Tech-Com scientist Alex Wright created his _magnum opus_ , his great work of art: Daedalus. After recovering a Neural Net Processor from a Terminator, Dr. Wright had gone to work creating his own Skynet-Class AI, code named 'Daedalus', in an effort to create an AI that was capable of matching Skynet's capabilities. In order to provide a personality for the AI, Dr. Wright, in a risky maneuver, flash cloned his own brain cells using an experimental procedure and used them to generate the AI's personality. To everyone's surprise, Dr. Wright outdid himself. The new AI, Daedalus, was horrified by what Skynet had done, and had vowed to defeat what it believed was a faulty AI, and ensure Mankind's survival. Skynet retaliated by trying to infect Daedalus with a computer virus, only for the new AI to adapt shockingly fast and reprogram the virus to allow more Terminators to join the Resistance, even taking a number of facilities from Skynet in the process.

Then, a few months ago, a Resistance soldier from the future delivered vital intelligence on what Skynet was doing. Sensing it's imminent defeat at the hands of the Resistance, Skynet began developing a time machine in order to send it's forces back in time to destroy the Resistance before it could get started in an attempt to rewrite the future. In order to stop it, the Resistance had mounted an all out offensive to get at the TDE and destroy it before Skynet could succeed. Unfortunately, the three Terminators had made it through just in time. Now, they had to use the same TDE to send people back in time, in order to save the Resistance from being destroyed. Some had hypothesized that the timeline they were in would remain unchanged, and that Skynet would only be making branching timelines. No one, however, wanted to court that possibility. So, it was decided that the TDE would be brought back online, in order to send people back in time to protect the Resistance's most vital people. As he wandered through these thoughts, Connor heard someone walking up towards him. Looking to his right, he watched as a technician said, "Commander, sir! We have the TDE ready for operation again."

"Excellent," Connor replied. "Is Jacob Rivers, William Torrance and his squadmate on their way up?"

"Affirmative," the officer replied. "They're going to arrive at the entrance to the TDE facility shortly."

"Good," Connor replied. "They has skills and vital resources that will be invaluable. I'll meet them personally." With that, the leader of the Resistance left to meet the men he called up.

* * *

A few minutes after Connor had met his subordinate, William was walking into the massive pyramid that used to house Skynet. William Torrance was a tall, muscular man, with dark brown hair, hazel colored eyes, and tanned skin as a result of his work down in South America, where there were very few cities that had been destroyed, if at all. A long, jagged scar on his forehead indicated where an HK Terminator had struck him, in a failed attempt to kill him. He, along with a squad of T-888L's, had been responsible for destroying the cold fusion reactor that had been powering Skynet's Central Core, leading to Skynet's defeat. Dealing with the T-Meg, or T-1000000, had been difficult, but thanks to the Terminators, they had succeeded in their mission. Already, he could see that many of the Terminators that had shutdown were reactivated, only they weren't shooting at humans now. Instead, they were assisting the injured, burying the dead, or helping to begin tearing down Skynet's Core in order to use it as materials for the Industrial Replicators. To his surprise, the T-1000000 was online as well, but it was using it's polyalloy form to assist in cleanup operations and disposal. Walking into a nearby room, he saw the very man himself: John Connor.

A tall, muscular individual, John Connor wasn't a hard person to miss. The left side of his face had two scars, one on his left temple and the other on his left cheek. His black hair helped to frame his pale skin, while two brown eyes gazed out at him with a mixture of authority and compassion. It was the latter trait that had helped draw people to the Resistance; the name Connor was synonymous with hope during the newly ended Future War, a reason to continue living and fighting. Next to him was Jacob Rivers, the 2nd highest person on Skynet's hit-list. Jacob Rivers was slightly shorter than Connor, and his hair was a dark brown rather than black. He also had a beard that was just starting to show on his face, as well as two light brown eyes. Walking up to Connor, William said, "Sergeant Torrance reporting for duty, sir!"

"At ease," Connor replied.

"Is there something wrong," William asked. "You wanted to see me."

"Commander, what's going on," Rivers asked Connor.

"William's unit, the 124, destroyed the Central Core and stopped Skynet," Connor said to them.

"So is the war over," Jacob asked.

"For some of us, yes," Connor replied. "But just before we destroyed the Core, Skynet managed to send three Terminators back in time. The only thing in our power now is to send the Protectors to meet them."

"Protectors," Rivers asked, confused.

Turning around, Connor walked through the open door and continued as they walked down the hall into the TDE room. "The ones that will ensure the safety of the people marked for termination," Connor explained. "The first one has to be Sergeant Kyle Reese. He'll go after the T-800 that is targeting my mother as we speak. By killing her, Skynet will try to erase me from ever existing. The second one will seek to destroy the T-1000."

"T-1000," Rivers asked.

"A Terminator made of mimetic polyalloy sent back to kill me as a child. A single prototype created by Skynet."

"We encountered the T-Meg down at the Central Core and it was made of mimetic polyalloy," William said to them. "We were nearly overrun, but Richard and his squad of T-850's managed to save our asses and allow us to get to the Central Core, where we destroyed the cold fusion reactor powering Skynet. They've just told me they made sure that it won't come back online ever again. Still, even though it's on our side now, it was powerful enough that we were almost defeated."

"Exactly," Connor replied. "It's too powerful for a single human being. That is why we will have to send back a Terminator of our own." Once they entered the room, Connor turned to face them and asked, "Do you have that CPU that Mack reprogrammed?"

"I do," Rivers replied. "But . . . you want to send a Terminator to protect your younger self? Won't you be afraid?"

"I will be," Connor admitted. "Then there's the matter of the Infiltrator sent after you. The war can end for you right now, but the question is, are you willing to sacrifice your future to protect your past? By being here, you've already proven that is not beyond your capabilities. But . . . I'll leave that decision to you."

"Will I be able to fix my past mistakes?"

"I've always believed that the future is not set," Connor replied. "There's no fate but that which we make for ourselves. You do have the power to change it, and protect the ones you care about. So, what will it be then?

Looking at Rivers, William could tell that the young man was thinking through the consequences of both choices. After a moment, he said, "No . . . I won't go."

Connor seemed to be quiet for a moment, then he sighed and said, "I cannot judge you. You've seen yourself die once already, and that's probably one too many. There will be plenty of volunteers that will gladly take your place."

"I'm willing to go," Torrance replied, walking closer to Connor. "All the ones that I've loved were killed when I was an infant; my grandfather raised me before he was killed by a Terminator. Still, my parents would be proud, knowing that I helped to save Humanity from total annihilation. I just want to take someone with me so that I'm not completely overwhelmed."

"An understandable concern," Connor agreed. "Who do you want to take with you?"

"Richard," William replied. "He's the best d**n Terminator I've had the honor to work with. Also, I'm going to bring Adrian Jenkins, my XO, along as well. I've taught him everything I know, and it's his turn to lead. Plus, this sack of bones is getting old; I'm, what, forty three now. My time's up, so it's Adrian's turn to lead. He's a natural leader, and he's willing to compromise with those that don't agree with him."

"I see," Connor replied. "The TDE can send back multiple individuals without hard, so that will not be a problem." Just as he finished, William's technician came running in, his breath ragged and fast. "What is it," Connor asked.

"I just found something that might changed the whole TDE completely," the Technician replied breathlessly. "We'll have to send Kyle Reese and the T-850 in the buff, but I've found something that Skynet researched for multiple time travelers. Apparently, it created a prototype module that allows for technology to be sent back without requiring a sheath of organic tissue; the problem is that it wasn't able to research it for single occupants before we shut it down. We'll have to use it for William and his team."

"We can go back with our equipment ready to go," William deduced, already understanding the gravity of the situation. "We can give the Resistance in the past Gen-2 Phased Plasma weaponry without having to decode it from Skynet, Perhaps we can create Gen-3 plasma weaponry before Skynet can."

"That's good news," Connor agreed. "We'll send Kyle and the T-850 first. I'd suggest you get ready for the third, and final, TDE use William. Dismissed." With that, Jacob Rivers and the others walked away. William in particular had a fire in his eyes that no one had seen before: he was going to help the Resistance get an edge over Skynet for once, and he would be responsible for that.

A half hour later, William, Richard and Adrian were walking onto the platform that would allow them to use the TDE to travel back in time. The past several minutes had been spent getting ready for the trip, with provisions, ammo, weapons and other key pieces of equipment being placed onto the platform. During that time Richard, the T-888L that was going with them, had downloaded the schematics required for the Industrial Replicators, in case they were sent back to when William was just 18 years old, as well as every piece of technology the Resistance had been able to develop since then. As for Adrian, he was ready as well. Adrian was a fairly young and sprightly young man, with dirty blonde hair, dark green eyes and tanned skin, since he lived in one of the civilian areas before he joined Tech-Com. As a result, he was healthier than most of the older members of the Resistance, with William being one of the exceptions. Before he joined the Resistance, Adrian had been something of a troublemaker, as he was defiant, didn't listen very well, and was off doing what he wanted: shooting firearms.

William, however, realized that what people thought were Adrian's failings were strengths that needed to be coaxed out of him. Since he took him under his wing, Adrian had gone from being a loud, brash and rebellious man, to a quiet, considerate and inspiring leader. He had earned and commanded both respect and fear from his men, respect since he was a respectful, considerate and intelligent leader, and fear because of his determination to get the job done, even it it meant costing him his life. "I don't know if this is a good idea," Adrian remarked to William. "I mean, I know you have faith that I can do the job, but I don't think I'm quite ready to do this. There's so much we don't know; we're riding on technology that hasn't been proven yet."

"I know," William replied. "To be honest, I'm nervous as well, but I have faith that one of us, if not all of us, will get to where we need to go. I wouldn't have chosen you if I knew you weren't ready. Once we've completed our objective, however, I'm going to do what I said I would do: I will resign from my post and live out a quiet life. My grandfather used to be the CEO of a multi-million dollar corporation before Skynet became self-aware. He taught me everything he knew about running a business, so when the war's over, I'll start up a business. Don't get me wrong, it will be a military oriented business, but I'll make weapons so that people can protect themselves. An armed society, is a polite and civilized society."

"Well," Adrian remarked. "If you say so. I'm still not confident about this, but we're past the point of no return. Might as well jump in feet first."

"I agree," Richard replied. "You cannot know the outcome of a simulation until you decide to commit to the decision you make. Remember what Connor said: there is no fate but that which we make for ourselves."

A moment later, they finished loading up the necessary equipment needed for their journey. "We're all set," one of the technicians replied. "We're go for launch."

"Good," Connor agreed. "Activate the TDE." As they did so, William took the time to salute John Connor one more time, his right hand over his right temple before he lowered the hand. Connor returned the salute and smiled. "Good luck, gentlemen."

"You too, sir," William replied. Moments later, the TDE began forming the Quantum sphere that would take them from the year 2029, to the early 1990's, in order to find and protect John Connor. As it formed, William realized that something was wrong. A _separate_ Quantum sphere was forming around the powered down Terminator. Before he could react, both spheres, which were hidden inside of a much larger one, vanished into thin air. Moments later, the TDE spooled back down to it's original state.

 _Good luck,_ Connor thought to the men that had just gone back in time. _The Resistance is counting on you._

* * *

**Reach**

**New Alexandria Outskirts**

**July 24th, 2552**

If there was one thing that Richmond could say he was, it was bored out of his mind. The semi driver calmly took a swig from his drink, a glass of double distilled, Kentucky Whiskey, before settling in for the ride. After which, he placed the bottle of whiskey back into the fridge in his semi and sealed it tight. _I'm on the job, after all,_ he thought. _Drinking on the job's a misdemeanor, and I don't want to be pissing drunk by the time I get out of here._ Taking the wheel of his truck, he started up the semi-truck, the engine roaring loudly as it spun up to idle. Turning on the headlights, since it was around 11:55 pm, Richmond put the truck into gear and put his foot to the pedal. The truck engine roared loudly as Richmond began driving to the city, his eyes intently laid on getting his newest shipment of cargo. Moments later, the truck accelerated as he began heading for the interior parts of New Alexandria.

Behind him, the trailers left behind by the other truckers sat there, the wind idly blowing through the gaps beneath and between the trailers. Despite the rigorous enforcement of recycling laws, there was a fair amount of garbage that was lying on the ground, courtesy of drivers that were too lazy, or preoccupied, to clean up after themselves. The scene seemed almost… idyllic, the sound and hubbub of the city muted by the distance. The relative silence was shattered moments later, as the wind began to pick up. Trash, paper and other things on the ground began to be moved around, with bottles and cups being rolled along, while paper flew up into the air. Moments later, faint, blue-white electrical sparks began to flare into existence.

Moments later, the sparking grew more intense at a geometric rate. Thick bolts of electricity jumped between each of the trucks, scoring their sides and scorching the paint, leaving long, jagged lines in the metal. Sparks flew as new electrical bolts came into existence, with many traveling up and down the trailers as though they had a life of their own. Moments later, part of the rear of one trailer vanished, as a blue-black ball of energy grew in size, until it was larger than a man. More electricity emitted from the blue-black ball, giving it the appearance of spines. Seconds later, in a flash of light, the ball vanished, leaving part of the trailer completely vaporized, and a part of the ground sizzling, a red-hot indentation in the ground. In the ball's place, was the Terminator known as Richard. The machine continued to remain in it's crouched state, only coming online moments later. With it's activation, the Terminator got up from it's kneeling stance and began to look around.

 **Initial Scan complete** , the Terminator's internal systems reported. **Time Displacement successful. Initializing high level scan**. Moments later, the Terminators systems detected a discrepancy. **ALERT: Discrepancy detected. Investigate cause of discrepancy.** Moments later, the T-850L began attempting a wireless linkup with any computer networks. One of the major upgrades to the T-850 series the Resistance performed was a wireless computer link to the Resistance's HQ in Washington D.C. This allowed the T-850's to not only receive updates to it's software, it also allowed the leaders of the Resistance to directly communicate with the Terminator, allowing them to update mission parameters and objectives. With further technological advancements, they T-850's became known as the T-850L series. After a few seconds, it finished linking with a computer network nearby **. Discrepancy source detected, the internal systems reported. Discrepancy: disparate date. Analyzing… Analysis complete. Possible cause of discrepancy: malfunction of Time Displacement Equipment leading to travel to alternate reality.** **Mission Parameters Updated: Locate more suitable source of information. Locate and acquire means of transport.** With the previous parameters met, the Terminator turned to it's right, it's ocular sensors spotting a small, rectangular structure nearby. A number of vehicles were parked outside, indicating it was being used. Walking towards the structure, the Terminator looked left and right before crossing the street, then did so with it's methodical walk. Looking around once it crossed the street, it began to identify it's location. According to it's sensors and information data banks, it was at a bar called the 'New Alexandria Roadside Bar,' a small bar that was located on the outskirts of the city the sign mentioned. Looking around, the Terminator began scanning the vehicles in front of it. After performing numerous scans, the Terminator spotted another vehicle. **Analyzing… Vehicle Chassis: Charybdis Defense Solutions civilian grade Warthog. Assessment: Suitable. Match: .99.** With the vehicle chosen, the Terminator began the next phase of it's mission: acquisition of suitable clothing.

* * *

Looking around the bar, Patrick calmly sipped at his first bottle of New Alexandria Brandy, his eyes darting to and fro as he looked at the establishment's. It was a full house in the bar tonight, as he could see bikers, semi-truck drivers and off-duty military personnel walking about. The music tonight was a classic country song composed during Earth's 1980's, not the most popular, but certainly a welcome relief from what young people called 'good music.' He snorted at the thought. In his honest opinion, these people wouldn't know good music if it slapped them in the face. Still, with the way the war was going on, he knew that these people were trying to just live their lives, before they might have to run for said lives. When it came to the war, Patrick frowned. Just over 25 years ago, the United Earth Government, or UEG, had been attacked by an alien conglomerate known as the Covenant. In order to protect Humanity, the military, scientific and exploratory branch of the UEG, the United Nations Space Command, had launched an all out, defensive war, in order to stave off the attack and allow Humanity to survive. So far, things weren't going well. Unlike most people, Patrick didn't believe the bullshit propaganda that was being spread around. He had personally experienced the glassing of his homeworld, even killed a few Covenant out of self-defense. Now, he was on Reach, the arguable center of UNSC military might, as a refugee, of all things.

There was another reason why he was here as well: to spy on the Insurrection, but not for ONI. He rather hated those creeps and spooks, who performed backroom politics and backstabbing 'for the good of Humanity.' He worked for the movement known as the United Reformation Organization, a non-profit, public organization with one goal: to bring about positive change for the Outer Colonies in a _peaceful_ manner. The URO had formed out of a response to the more violent Insurrectionists, who wanted to leave the UNSC in order to rule themselves. At first, it was peaceful, but heavy handed policing from the UNSC, combined with various blunders on both sides accounts, had led to the Insurrection becoming militarized. As a result, anyone that did not have pro-UEG views was seen as 'untrustworthy' and therefore a potential terrorist. The leader of the URO, Michael Wright, believed that peaceful secession from the UNSC was still possible, and thus founded the URO. Originally, it had started out as just him and a couple thousand people that shared the same belief. Now, it was a rapidly growing organization that actively fought against the use of violent protests as a means of effecting political reform. There were rumors that ONI was involved in helping the organization begin, but they were just that: rumors.

So far, the local Insurrection cell on Reach was laying low, due to the fact that Epsilon Eridanus was the most fortified, UNSC controlled system in the UEG. Still, Michael Wright didn't want to take any chances, which was why Patrick was here to spy on the local Insurrection. If he noticed anything off, he was to report in a clandestine manner to Wright, so that he could alert the UNSC garrison on Reach as to a potential Insurrectionist plot. He was about to take another sip, and write down his observations, when the door opened. Turning around, Patrick fought the urge to stare when he found the person that had just entered was in the buff. The man was tall, roughly 6' and 4'' in height, with trimmed, brown hair, strong facial features, and two brown eyes that looked ahead. The man was very fit, with powerful, streamlined muscles that indicated the man was a bodybuilder. The other patrons of the bar turned to look at the man, with some remarking on his physique. Entering the structure proper, the man continued to walk forwards, his head turning as he looked at the other members of the bar. Despite the seemingly innocuous entry, Patrick found himself beginning to move his hand towards his concealed, M6D sidearm.

Walking into the bar, the Terminator began looking around at the patrons of the building. The interior was much cleaner than most people would assume of a bar, with a well cleaned floor, walls that were recently painted, tables and chairs that were lovingly cleaned, as well as deodorizers in the air. While the kitchen wasn't fully visible, it was clear that whoever owned the establishment cared about the cleanliness of the place. Continuing to move forwards, the Terminator began scanning the patrons inside. Most of them were unsuitable, while others were suitable, but didn't have a close enough match. Eventually, the Terminator came up to a man wearing a leather jacket, a black shirt, a pair of dark brown, almost black, jeans, and two, black boots. The man had brown colored hair, pale skin, and a long, jagged scar that rand down the right side of his face. Said man also had a tattoo in the form of a stylized fist on the back of his left hand. **Initializing Deep Scan. Scan Complete. Subject Suitability: Match. Begin acquisition of clothing.** From his vantage point, Patrick watched as the nude man stopped in front of one of the patrons, before sizing him up. After a moment, the nude man said in an Austrian accented voice, "I need your clothes, your boots, and your Warthog."

Patrick couldn't believe it. The nude man was demanding the clothes and car that the person before him had. A long, loud laugh came from all of the bar patrons, including the man that the nude person was talking to. Leaning forwards, the patron said, "You forgot to say please." Puffing out some smoke form a cigar, the man pressed the glowing end into the man's chest. To everyone's surprise, the man didn't seem to react, other than looking down at the burnt area. Then, with his left hand, the nude man reached up, grabbed the patron's hand, and squeezed. The bar patron shouted in pain as the bones in his hand cracked and crunched. "Get him off me," he screamed as he went to his knees.

One of the patrons took a pool cue from a nearby pool table and swung it at the man's head. The pool cue broke like glass, with the man turning around, grabbing the patron by the scruff of his jacket, and flinging him through the window. There was a loud _CRASH_ as the patron flew through the window and landed on another car, shattering the windshield. The patron the man held was promptly thrown through the air into the kitchen, where he had the supreme misfortune of landing on the grill. Screams of pain came from the man as he threw himself off the grill, his face and hands having imprints where the hot, metal bars had branded themselves. Another patron launched forwards, knife in hand, and stabbed the newcomer in the chest. Instead of bowling over in pain, the man grabbed the patron's hand, twisted his arm around, forced him onto the table and plunged the knife straight into the man's shoulder. The patron screamed in pain as the knife plunged into his shoulder with a quiet _shhhnk_. "Pull it out," the patron screamed repeatedly as he tried to move his arm to get at the knife. Behind them, Patrick promptly left the building, along with the other patrons that didn't want anything to do with the strange man.

Walking into the kitchen, the Terminator approached the patron it had thrown through the air. Unwilling to relent, the patron pulled out a large, semi-automatic handgun and tried to charge the handgun. Before it could, the Terminator grabbed the pistol and pulled it away. Looking at the handgun, the Terminator analyzed it. **Scan complete. Weapon Model: M6D Personal Defense Sidearm. Type: Gas Operated, Rotating Bolt Sidearm. Caliber: 12.7x40mm Misriah. Manufacturer: Misriah Armory. Effective Range: 50m. Capacity: 12+1 rounds. Weapon Suitable for use.**

Charging the weapon, the Terminator looked again at the patron. Realizing defeat, the man pulled out a small card and said, "Take it." Tossing the card with a groan, the man collapsed to the ground, the Terminator grabbing the object in mid-air. A few minutes, and some undignified shouting later, the Terminator walked out of the building, fully dressed and armed. Looking to it's right, it spotted the vehicle that the card belonged to. Using it's new key card, the Terminator got inside and powered up the vehicle, the engine purring as the Terminator prepared to drive away.

There was a loud, concussive _BANG_ , as a weapon was discharged. Looking at the rear view mirror, the Terminator noticed the owner of the bar had a pump action shotgun in his hands. "Can't let you take the man's wheels, son," the man said, aiming the weapon at the Terminator after racking the slide. "Now get out, before I put you down like a rabid dog." Getting out, the Terminator approached the man, it's face the very picture of calmness. "That's it, motherfucker," the owner growled. A moment later, the Terminator came to a stop. In a flash of movement, the Terminator grabbed the shotgun with it's left hand and wrenched it cleanly out of the man's grasp. Realizing the tables had turned, the man slowly backed up, keeping his hands up as the Terminator put the shotgun into it's right hand. He jumped when the man reached out and grabbed something in his pockets, a pair of sunglasses that the Terminator put on. Without further resistance, the Terminator got into the Warthog and, turning it on, began to drive away.

As it drove along, the Terminator analyzed it's new weapon. **Analysis complete. Weapon Model: M45D Tactical Shotgun. Type: Slide Action Projectile Shotgun. Caliber: 8 Gauge. Capacity: 12+1 shells. Optimal Range: 10m. Maximum Range: 50m. Probability of success increase with Shotgun Choke: Substantial. Secondary Objective: Acquire and upgrade defensive measures.** As it drove along, the Terminator began to access the planet's global information network in an attempt to decipher the current threat to this version of Humanity, now that it deduced it was in an alternate reality. So far, most of what it had found was edited by the UNSC's efforts to downplay the threat of the Covenant, which it found to be inaccurate on determining the Covenant's true capabilities. Eventually, after a few microseconds, it detected a well protected security network.

As it scanned the computer network, it immediately noticed an anomaly. **Anomaly detected. Analyzing... Analysis complete. ALERT: Unknown AI Detected. Initializing Metamorphic Cyber Warfare Software. Software Initialized. Initiate Metamorphic Cyber Attack. Acquiring Relevant Intelligence Data**. As it did so, the Terminator began monitoring the protected network for any signs of the unknown AI being alerted. If it was alerted, it would pull out and modify it's current Mission Parameters in order to counteract any form of retaliation. Fortunately, the metamorphic cyber attack was able to allow the Terminator to access the computer network, without alerting the AI. Metamorphic Cyber Attack Successful. Intelligence Data retrieved. Pulling out of the computer network, the Terminator erased any evidence that it had accessed the computer network, preventing any AI, Dumb or Smart, from performing a successful trace.

In a few microseconds, the Terminator began analyzing what it had learned, in order to determine it's next course of action, all the while ensuring that it didn't crash the vehicle into any obstacles in the way. After a few moments, it came to the logical conclusion. **Primary Mandate Unchanged. Protect Humanity from Termination. Mission Parameters updated. Protect the UNSC. Protect Earth. Terminate All Covenant Forces. New Objectives Added: Acquire efficiency upgrades for Defensive Measures. Acquire and Stockpile Credits. Enlist with UNSCDF when possible.** With those objectives decided, the Terminator hacked into the planet's information network. Accessing the digital records of each person on the planet, the Terminator created a false identity for itself. Using what it had been taught by skilled Tech-Com personnel, it created a cover story that was as close to the truth as possible, without blatantly telling the truth. With that objective complete, it began to siphon credits from numerous criminal and terrorist organizations that were present, allowing it to acquire the funds that it needed for any upgrades. With those objectives complete, the Terminator began searching for a suitable place to stay for the night. Tomorrow was when it would complete it next objectives.


	2. Recruitment & Misplacement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - Terminator crossover. I'm pleased to see that people are taking a look at my crossover now that I'm bringing it over to this website. Thank you for the attention you are giving it, and I hope you continue to look at it in the future. Don't forget to leave any comments in the comment section below, so that I can get some more feedback on anything I need to change. As always, leave a comment, or a kudo, and enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Terminator franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Carolo Pictures, Hemdale, Skydance Productions, 20th Century Fox, Lightstorm Entertainment, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to it's original developers, producers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.

**Terminator 2 OST - Desert Suite**

**New Alexandria**

**Motorside Motel,**

**Near Highway 35**

**July 25th, 2552**

Finding an apartment to stay for the night was easy. The Terminator had done a thorough scan of the planetary computer network in order to find a suitable place to stay for the night. Fortunately, there was a nearby motel that was suitable for the Terminator, a small, family owned business known as the Motorside Motel. It was a modest building with only twenty rooms, but it was well cleaned, well maintained, had low prices, and an excellent reputation for it's customer service and quality, which meant that it was a thriving business. Before it headed to the motel, however, the Terminator did a check on the individual that it had acquired the clothes from: George Jorgenson. A number of red flags came up when it analyzed his dossier, indicating that something was wrong. Checking with the UNSC/ONI computer networks, the Terminator determined that George Jorgenson was seen as a terrorist by the UNSC and, therefore, had a kill/capture order on his head. Further analysis indicated that George was a professional bomb maker and weapons expert. He was suspected of multiple bombings at UNSC military installations, and was believed to be planning many more bombings. **Threat Analysis: Unacceptable, the Terminator determined a moment later. Primary Objective rewritten. New Primary Objective: change vehicle registration and license plates to prevent arrest and seizure.** Pulling the vehicle off to the side, the Terminator got out and looked at the license plate. Commence search of vehicle for alternative license plate. Looking through the Warthog's interior and back, the Terminator quickly found an alternative license plate that had, apparently, been made just four hours ago. Finding the proper tools, the Terminator removed the original plates and replaced them with the new ones. **Arrest averted,** the internal systems reported. **Revising Primary Objective**. Getting into the Warthog once again, the Terminator continued on it's journey towards the motel.

Driving the Warthog into the parking lot two hours later, the Terminator switched off the engine and walked inside, having already engaged the anti-theft systems on the vehicle. Walking inside, the Terminator approached the receptionist, a black haired woman who was sitting at a half-octagon desk made out of granite and wood while working at a computer. Her dress was simple, but fittingly so, with the logo of the motel on her shirt. Behind her was the logo of the motel, with the reception room having a number of chairs on either side of the entrance, as well as TV screens showcasing various television shows and news programs. Two hallways branched off from the building, with one leading to a small cafeteria, while the other led to the rooms that the motel offered. Noticing the Terminator's approach, she said, "Hello, Mr…"

"Richard," the Terminator replied. "Richard Parsons."

"Richard Parsons," the receptionist noted. "That's a nice name. What can I do for you tonight?"

"I would like to rent a room," the Terminator replied, handing the receptionist an ID. Since it was a digital ID, and not a laminated paper ID, the Terminator was able to reprogram the ID to suit it's mission profile. The ID in question stated that the Terminator in question was Richard Parsons, a professional, freelance mercenary that was currently looking at enlisting with the UNSCDF proper. The ID had the Terminator's photograph, the necessary information for any documents, as well as a contact number in case anyone had questions. Due to the thoroughness that any infiltration class Terminator had, the information would stand up to the most detailed checks in any law enforcement or military system.

Taking the ID, the receptionist typed in the required information and said, "We have five rooms available for you. Each night is 10 Credits for the first night, with 5 Credits for each night that you stay here. Here's the key to your room." Moments later, she handed the Terminator the key to his room.

"Thank you," the Terminator replied, sending the woman the required fee for the night. Walking to Room 15, the Terminator slid the keycard through the slot and opened the door. Once inside, it closed the door and locked it.

Looking around, the Terminator could see the interior of the room. True to the motels reputation, the room was clean and well maintained, with nary a stain or food crumb on the floor, ceiling and walls. A single, queen sized bed was located to the machine's left, a sturdy wood frame holding the mattress inside. A dresser was located too the right, with a TV screen mounted with loving care on the wall. A door to the bathroom was located at the back of the left wall, with closer inspection revealing a well stocked and cleaned bathroom and shower. By human standards, this was an excellent motel to stay at. To the Terminator, it was suitable. Sitting down on the bed, the Terminator removed it's jacket and shirt to more closely examine the damage done to it's living tissue sheath. As expected, the nanites that were infused into the living tissue had done their job adequately, with the cigar burn having since healed, along with the stab wound. The cigar burn looked just like a burn scar, while the stab wound had healed without a scar. A diagnostic revealed that the nanites were performing to optimal standards.

With that taken care of, the Terminator decided to perform it's normal subroutines. Grabbing a towel, the machine stepped into the shower and began to clean itself off. Normally, this would be a problem, but the Resistance's AI Daedalus had ensured that all electronic components were hermetically sealed, rendering them airtight and watertight. Therefore, there was no danger of the Terminator shorting out or having some other problem from condensation. On top of that, the shower would eliminate any unusual odors that might inform anyone that the Terminator was anything but human. After a few minutes, the Terminator determined it was fully sanitized. Stepping out of the shower, it dried itself off, and put on it's clothes once more, before lying down on the bed. To anyone, the Terminator would appear to be asleep, but in actuality, it was still fully online and operational. During this time, the Terminator began to begin formulating a plan for the next phase of it's operations. Since it had decided to assist the UNSC in any manner possible, the Terminator began to calculate the possibilities that it could perform. In a few microseconds, it had determined two possibilities. The first was that it could work for the UNSC as a freelance mercenary. This would not only solve any financial problems in the future, it would also serve to reinforce it's cover story as well. There were a few downsides with this possibility, though. The first was the UNSC's use of Smart Artificial Intelligence; while using technology that was not nearly as sophisticated as a Neural Net Processor, it was still advanced enough to allow for practical AI. The main disadvantage, however, was with the cover story in this case. If a Smart AI were to detect the anomalous signature of the Terminator's arrival, it would immediately begin performing a database scan of any new individuals in the population records. If it found a new entry, even if it was disguised as a computer error, the AI would flag the new identity and inform it's superiors on what was going on. That would certainly lead to it's arrest, and possible destruction.

The second possibility, however, solved this problem entirely. Instead of posing as a mercenary, the Terminator had determined that it could be directly recruited into the UNSCDF as a raw recruit. Reach was the center of military might for the UNSC, and it held their most reputable training installations as well. Posing as a recruit would allow it to get into the UNSC proper, thus avoiding any suspicion as to what was going on. The only downside was if it's non-human nature was detected. If anyone in the UNSC found out that it was a machine, and not actually a human, then it was possible that it would be disassembled. The likeliest individuals that would find out it's true nature would be ONI Agents, as well as enlisted personnel that were attentive. In other words, the Terminator determined that it was, according to the human idiom, 'between a rock and a very hard place.' If it took either one of the predescribed actions, then there was a major risk that the Terminator's true nature would be revealed, and that it would be terminated. The only problem was that, as far as it could tell, those were the only two options that would work. **Analyzing potential risk** , the internal systems reported. **Risk analysis complete. Current Risk Level: acceptable. Primary Objective: Locate Recruiting Station** **.** With it's new objective decided, the Terminator spent the rest of the night in the room, waiting for the normal hours that organic beings would wake up at.

Around four hours later, the Terminator got up from it's position. Walking out of it's room, the Terminator left a tip for the receptionist, who wasn't present, before exiting the building, a small breakfast in it's hands. Normally, Terminators didn't need to eat, since they were powered by a miniaturized fusion reactor where a human heart would normally be. To make the T-888 more effective at infiltration, however, Skynet had designed the T-888 to have a fully functional internal organ system, which would allow it to eat and drink, making it even harder to distinguish a Terminator from a normal human being. It was a feature that was carried over to the T-850L, in the event a T-850L needed to infiltrate a human settlement that was allied with Skynet.

As a result, the Terminator was able to eat a small breakfast in order to maintain the illusion that it was a normal human being. The modified internal organ system was designed so that the Terminator would also gain some energy from the food it consumed. Ultimately, however, it was fully capable of surviving without this synthetic organ system with no effect on it's capabilities, so it was generally used only for infiltration. Once it had eaten, the Terminator began driving towards the nearest recruiting station, which was about a three hour drive into the actual city. By many standards, New Alexandria was a shining example of the UEG's economic might and efficiency, with it's ultramodern architecture, clean streets, and low poverty level. It was a clear example of what human beings were capable of once they put their minds to a task. However, recent times had begun to strain this image, as refugees had been fleeing to Reach for some time. As a result, there was a slowly growing population of homeless people that really had no place to go to anymore. Most of these people ended up joining the UNSCDF anyways, as it not only offered food and shelter, it also offered a job, and a means of getting payback against the Covenant. Today, traffic was busy, with a number of snarl ups in the traffic the closer to the city center one would get. The Terminator, however, wasn't concerned by this, as it's primary goal was located on the western side of New Alexandria, in an area that had lower traffic volume than the rest of the city. That meant that it's journey was unobstructed by anything like traffic.

As it drove along, the Terminator noticed a large tower inside the city. Analysis indicated that this was the local city HQ for ONI, the Office of Naval Intelligence. While the chances of being arrested by ONI on the spot were slim, if negligible, the Terminator knew it needed to be careful around that place. One wrong move, and ONI agents would make it 'disappear' from the public forever. Eventually, the Terminator came to it's primary objective: the West Alexandria Recruiting Station. It was a small, nondescript building painted in the olive drab colors that the UNSC made use of for it's installations. Built next to a busy highway, the recruiting station had gotten a lot of attention lately, with the waves of refugees coming to this place in order to be recruited into the UNSCDF. Today was no exception, as the Terminator could see a long line of people waiting to get inside and find out if they were suitable for military service. Parking the Warthog nearby, the machine walked into the line and began to wait until it reached it's destination. Passing the tests would be no concern at all, as the T-888's, including the Resistance designed Lima series, were capable of almost perfectly fooling someone into thinking they were human beings. Even a close up examination would find nothing out of the ordinary. Eventually, it was able to enter the building. Walking inside, the Terminator went up to the recruiting station's desk, where a UNSC Marine in his fatigues was working on some administrative reports and paperwork. Looking up, he asked, "You here to join the Marines?"

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied.

"I see," the man remarked. Looking at the Terminator's well crafted dossier, the Marine asked, "Have you been involved in any anti-UNSC engagements?"

"No," the Terminator replied.

"Have you ever taken up arms against the UNSC in the past?"

"No."

"OK, then," the Marine replied. "We'll need you to take a brief physical to determine your suitability for military service. Should you be found suitable, given your private military background, we'll have you perform a combat range test at the nearby New Alexandria UNSC Army Base. Should you pass that as well, you'll be immediately put into service. Since you've already undergone training for your mercenary work, boot camp will not be necessary. Is that clear?"

"Affirmative."

"Good," the Marine replied. Handing the Terminator a datapad, he said, "Fill out the form here. Once you're done, submit the report to me and then we'll take you into the back to get you inspected." Taking the data pad, the Terminator quickly filled out the report and handed it to the man. Once that was done, it was taken into the back to be checked out.

Walking inside, the Terminator found itself in a small, doctor's office, where a number of medical equipment was located at. The doctor was a middle aged man, with a balding head, blue eyes and a small mole on the right side of his face. Looking up at the man, he said, "Ah, yes. Richard Parsons is it?"

"Yes," the Terminator replied.

"Alright then," the doctor replied. "I'm Doctor Raymond. If you'll kindly sit down for me please, then we can get started. Today's a busy day, today, and I am determined to do the UNSC proud." Sitting down in the chair, the Terminator allowed the doctor to examine it. A few minutes later, Dr. Raymond was finishing filling out the forms he needed to complete. He had to admit, Richard Parsons was, probably, the most ideal candidate for military recruitment that he'd ever seen in his life. The man was perfectly fit, had no previous medical complications, and had passed each one of the medical tests. Filling out the last report, the man said, "Well, Richard Parsons, you've passed each test perfectly. Congratulations. You're one step closer to joining the UNSC."

"Thank you," the Terminator replied. Getting up, the Terminator found a UNSC Marine, in fully body armor, standing at the door. When the man motioned for the Terminator to follow, it obeyed, following the man to where a large, military transport truck was parked, with dozens of people getting inside. Once the truck was filled to capacity, the vehicle drove off for the UNSC Base. So far, everything was going well.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the Terminator, it wasn't the only individual that had been yanked unwillingly into this alternate timeline. Deep inside of New Alexandria's center, one could find refugees that hadn't been able to find any jobs or had failed UNSC recruiting standards. As a result, many had ended up in various alleys inside the city, living off of whatever they could find in garbage cans and dumpsters. One such homeless man was currently leaning up against a building's exterior wall as he ate some half eaten corn dogs, which had been thrown out the night before. Rinsing the gunk and dirt off of them had been difficult, but he wasn't worried about disease. He already had a number of complications, both pathogenic and otherwise, so what was one more. "Just wish I could find a job," the man groaned as he ate his meal. "Then I'd be able to get myself fixed up and all that jazz. Wish it wasn't for those stupid aliens causing all this ruckus." He was about to continue eating when he began to hear a faint, electrical noise. Stopping for a moment, the man looked around for the cause of the sound, his face a mask of bewilderment as he searched for the source of the noise. He briefly yelped and jumped when he was shocked by an arc of electricity that appeared out of nowhere. Stumbling backwards, the man watched as more electricity began to jump between the two buildings, with sparks flying everywhere. A few moments later, a black-blue ball of energy formed around three meters high into the air, with more electricity arching off of it's surface. Moments later, the homeless man was blinded by a flash of light, with his ears picking up a muted _thump_ as well. Once the light faded, the homeless man saw what he thought was a individual lying prone on the ground, along with several crates that had the symbol of a sword that was thrust through the middle of a DNA helix. Curious, he decided to get a closer look.

William groaned loudly as he got up from his curled position. His body screamed at him as he slowly got up off the ground, with pins, needles, and sharp, stabbing pains cutting through his body. Slowly, but surely, William got onto his feet, leaning up against the wall as the psychosomatic pain he was experiencing slowly faded into nonexistence. _The TDE malfunctioned,_ he thought as he remembered what had happened. _Apparently, that new module upgrade was deep enough in the prototype stage that it was wholly untested. I know Adrian managed to get through normally, but Richard and I ended up here. Speaking of which, where is here?_ Looking around, Alex found that he was in an alley between two buildings. Each one was made out of metal, with metal fire escapes built into each one. Surprisingly, the alleys were fairly clean, given what Alex knew from Connor's accounts before the war.

He nearly pulled out his Phased Plasma Pistol when he heard a nearby voice ask, "Hello? Who are you?" Looking to his left, Alex could see what he thought was a homeless man approaching him.

"I… I'm just a figment of your imagination," William replied. "I don't exist."

"Really," the man remarked. "I don't believe ya, mister. I got zapped by whatever it is that brought you here, and I can touch these just fine." He smacked a hand against each crate for emphasis.

"I see," William remarked. "So… where am I? More importantly, _when_ am I?"

"I can answer that," the homeless man replied. "You're currently on the planet of Reach, in the year 2552, son. It's September 14th, and you're in New Alexandria right now. Does that help?"

"Yes," William replied. In actuality, he was even more confused than ever before as to what had happened. _Well, shit,_ he thought. _Since we're not on Earth, and it's over five centuries into the future… shit. Looks like I've been transported into an alternate timeline._ "Anything else," he asked.

"No," the man replied.

"Good," William replied, pulling out his V-15B Phased Plasma Pistol. Before the hobo could call for help, William fired a single shot at the man's chest. Instead of firing a plasma bolt, however, the weapon fired a short, electrical arc that knocked the hobo to the ground, rendering him unconscious in the process. _Good thing these pistols have a non-lethal setting,_ _he_ thought as he holstered the weapon. _I'm glad that I didn't have to kill an innocent human being. It's bad enough fighting Skynet's Terminators, I don't want to have to add humans to my kill count._

With the immediate threat of being discovered neutralized, he began to look around for any means of transport. In the nearby street, William could see a number of vehicles that had been parked to one side, their owners in different parts of the city. _I don't like to steal,_ he thought, _but in this case, I really don't have a choice. I'll have to remove the symbol that's on my clothes, though. I don't want anyone to think that I'm a terrorist, or something close to that._ Looking at his Tech-Com uniform, William ripped off the symbol that identified him as a member of the Resistance. While it was easy for him to do that, it was much harder for the crates, as the symbol was painted on them, rather than being put on like a vinyl or decal. As a result, he was forced to hide the crates in a discrete part of the alley so that no one would accidentally stumble onto them. With that out of the way, he decided to bring some weaponry with himself, in the event he needed protection from anyone that had less than benevolent intentions. Looking through his choice of arsenal, William decided to take along the V-25A Phased Plasma Rifle, along with the V-20D Plasma Shotgun, as well as his V-15B Sidearm. Hiding the weapons was easy, as William had managed to pack in an unmarked military backpack with the supplies. Pulling out some clothes, he changed into more discrete clothes and, with his weapons, ammunition, maintenance equipment and MRE's in the backpack, walked out of the alley.

Looking around, William could see that what the man had told him was true: he was on another planet. Looking around, William could see that, besides a few changes here and there, the city reminded him of the newly rebuilt New York City, with it's towering skyscrapers, mostly clean streets as well as the vehicles nearby. Walking towards one such vehicle, William pulled out a small computer that was equipped with a touchscreen. _Looks like these cars are operated by computers, just like back home,_ he thought. _If that's the case, then I can hack into these vehicles, change the registration, and then I can drive around without getting into trouble._ As he was about to do so, he thought he heard a vague, buzzing sound. Looking up, he spotted a drone that was flying towards his position fast enough that he couldn't dodge it. It briefly scanned him, after which it began emitting a loud, warbling alarm. _Shit,_ William thought. _Looks like law enforcement has a few plans of their own for me!_

As soon as he thought this, he watched as an unmarked vehicle drove towards him. Not wanting to stick around, William immediately bolted, running back down the alley and towards any possible escape route. Having fully restarted, the nanotechnological augmentations in William's body fully activated, enhancing his physical capabilities greatly. Behind him, he could hear the footsteps of what he knew were law enforcement personnel chasing him down, fully intent on bringing him into a prison cell. Rounding the corner, he spotted two more men at the end of the alley, also intent on bringing him in. "Freeze," one of the men shouted. "NAPD! Put your hands into the air!"

"Like hell I will," William roared, bolting to another part of the alley. Turning left, he jumped a chain-link fence and continued to run, bolting to the right in order to shake off any pursuers. Despite having seemingly lost his pursuers, he continued to run as fast as he could, fully intent on escaping.

Turning right, he found himself face to face with another law enforcement agent. Drawing his weapon, a large, blocky handgun, the man shouted, "Hands in the air, asshole!" Instead of complying, William charged forwards, smacking the man's weapon to the left before taking hold of it. A gunshot rang out as the men struggled for control over the weapon. While the police officer was good, he was nowhere near as experienced, or strong, as William was. The Resistance NCO quickly overpowered the policeman, knocking him out after taking the gun from his hands. Tossing the weapon aside, William continued to run. Bolting to the left, he found himself nearing the entrance to a clothes store, with the door locked tightly. Stepping back, William kicked the door with all his might, the nanotechnology enhancing his strength. The door flew inwards, the lock breaking with a loud _PING_ as the door swung inwards like a rocket, with William bolting inside a moment later. Now that he was inside, William began grabbing any clothes that would fit him, as well as a pair of boots. Moving into one of the booths, he quickly changed out his clothes and shoes, before putting on a hat that he'd found as well. Putting the military rucksack back on, he exited the booth; he was about to leave when he checked his backpack. _No wonder they began pursuing me,_ he thought. _I didn't strip that symbol off the backpack. Damnit, William, you need to be more thorough._ Growling at himself, he tore the symbol of the Resistance off his rucksack and tossed it into a garbage bin. After that was done, he quickly exited the building, making sure that no law enforcement agents were around. When none were present, he continued to move along, doing his best to blend in with the crowds of people that were going about their daily business. Fortunately, he'd lost the cops, as he watched a police vehicle drive by, with none of the men noticing him at all. _That was too close,_ William thought. _What matters, though, is that I was able to shake them off in the end. Now, I just need to contact Richard; that Terminator has probably worked his way into the military by now. I just need to find a discrete location to contact him from._ Moving along, William quickly found another alley, a perfectly conspicuous place for him to contact the Terminator. Pulling out the computer he would've used earlier, he began establishing an encrypted channel to the Terminator. Once the link was established, he typed in, _**Sergeant Richard, If you receive this, ping me. It's Sergeant William Torrance. DN-308274.**_

The response was almost immediate. **DN-308274, this is Sergeant Richard Parsons. DN-390421. I have received your message. Where are you?**

_**New Alexandria City Center. The TDE malfunctioned, sending us both to this alternate timeline. What is your current location?** _

**New Alexandria UNSC Army Base. Infiltration of UNSC Marines successful. Currently awaiting deployment to UNSC Visegrad Wavespace Communications Relay.**

_**UNSC?** _

**United Nations Space Command. This alternate timeline's equivalent of the Resistance. Sending information on current war.** Moments later, William received a data packet from the Terminator.

He took a few minutes to read through it, with his eyes widening at the information files on the Covenant, as well as their current goals. _ **Have you sent HK & T Series Schematics to UNSC forces yet?**_

 **No** , was the reply. **Requesting permission to do so.**

_**Granted. UNSC needs as many advantages as possible. Also send schematics on Phased Plasma Weaponry. Will link up at Visegrad Wavespace Communications Relay ASAP. Sergeant William out.** _

**Affirmative. Sergeant Parsons out.** With that, the brief communication between the two ended. Putting the computer away, William began moving towards a small parking lot he'd spotted. Pulling out the computer, he hacked into one of the vehicles, allowing him to get inside.

Looking at the computer pad, he was surprised to see his ID come up on the registration database, with him being identified as a mercenary looking for work. _Good to see that Richard is good at forging false identities,_ he thought as he turned on the vehicle. _Still, I'll need to get to Visegrad Relay as soon as possible. Richard's being assigned to that area, and I need to be there in order to link up with him. First, however, I need some food._


	3. The War Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - Terminator crossover. Thank you for your continued support so far. I deeply appreciate the feedback that I'm getting, and I hope you enjoy each chapter as they come along. As always, leave a comment, a kudo or two, and enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Terminator franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Carolo Pictures, Hemdale, Skydance Productions, 20th Century Fox, Lightstorm Entertainment, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers, producers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.

**Military Base - Termimator 2 OST - Desert Suite**

**Interrogation & Cliffhanger - Terminator: Resistance OST - Escape From The 1000 (Cover)**

**Reach**

**New Alexandria**

**UNSCDF Base**

**July 25th, 2552**

While William was busy getting some much needed food, while dodging the New Alexandria Police Department, the Terminator was at the New Alexandria UNSCDF (United Nations Space Command Defense Force) base that was roughly 40 kilometers out from the actual city itself. The military installation was shaped in a typical, rectangular layout for a military base on near-flat ground, with Alaskan height barriers around the base to ensure that no ne'er-do-wells, or hostile infantry, got into the base to wreak havoc. The base was divided up into quadrants with shorter barriers that had gates built into each one.

The northwest quadrant of the base held the administration buildings that were needed for the personnel performing the daily administrative needs of the facility. The northeast quadrant of the base held the dormitories, where military personnel slept at, as well as the armory, firing/combat exercise range and gym. The southeast quadrant of the base held a series of hangars that held the venerable Falcon VTOL gunships that the UNSC Army used all the time. The southwestern quadrant of the base held the ground vehicles that were stationed there, as well as the maintenance and repair facilities that were required to keep those vehicles up and running.

The Terminator observed all of this as it, and nearly twenty other recruits, were taken to the base to be sorted out. According to the small slip of paper that it had, the Terminator had learned that it was going to have it's combat proficiency tested at this facility via the combat range, as the base also doubled as a boot camp. If it was found that it displayed exceptional combat skills, it would be immediately pressed into service at the base. Those that struggled, however, would be required to undergo the standard, six months, of boot camp in order to gain the skills, and mindset, required to fight.

The Troop Transport truck quickly made it's way down from the hill that the road was built on down to the base, where it stopped at the gate. The driver handed out his credentials to a UNSC Army Corporal that checked the credentials to make sure they genuine, and not a clever forgery. After a half-minute, the Corporal came out and handed the man his credentials, after which the gate was opened, allowing the truck inside. Inside the base, the Terminator could clearly see that the UNSC was well organized. Someone at the base was busy at work doing a job, while squads of UNSC Army personnel marched past the vehicle in eight man squads. The vehicle turned left a moment later, entering a parking lot before coming to a stop. "End of the line, folks," the driver announced. "Thank you for your cooperation."

With that, everyone piled out of the vehicle, with the Terminator following closely behind. Looking around, the Terminator began to scan various parts of the base that it could see, looking for weaknesses in the design, as well as vulnerabilities in the patrol schedule. So far, the UNSC had paid close attention to it's base design, as it found few, if any, weaknesses in the perimeter defenses, and the patrol schedules. Following the group, the Terminator found itself entering a building, where the recruits were talking to their parents on the phone. Those that had lost their loved ones, or had previously served as mercenaries, stood off in a separate group. Most of those people were chatty, while the mercenaries, and the Terminator, remained silent as they watched the recruits being taken along.

After about half a minute, one of the officers in the building approached the Terminator's group. "You there," the man said, pointing at the Terminator, "Come with me."

"Is there something wrong," the Terminator asked.

"No," the officer replied. "We're going to get you your gear, after which you will be tested in your combat proficiency. Come with me." Taking the cue, the Terminator began to follow the UNSC officer out of the building and to a Warthog. Once inside, they began to drive to the northeast quadrant, where the armory and firing/combat range was located at.

The armory itself was a fairly small building, roughly large enough to house fifty people at once. It was attached to a larger warehouse that held ammunition, spare weapons and armor for the personnel on the base. Walking inside, the officer led the Terminator, and the men behind it, into the armory. Separating them from the actual workshop was a well built wall that had a door built into the right side. The armorer was able to interact with anyone in the waiting room via a transparent Titanium window that had a slot cut out in the bottom, where two, small trays were located at. Once inside, the officer said, "Richard Parsons. You're up. Collect your gear and meet me at the combat range ASAP."

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. Apparently, the man, despite putting on a good show, was impressed with the Terminator's decorum, as the man smiled ever so slightly before heading out to the range itself. Approaching the counter, the Terminator patiently waited for the armorer to come by.

The armorer turned out to be a tall man with a bald head, light brown eyes and ebony colored skin. "Raw recruit, eh," the man asked in an accent reminiscent of the Southern United States. "Well, good news is that I've got plenty of weaponry for you. This is the one time that I'll decide your equipment for you. You ready?"

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied.

"Good," the armorer replied. Pulling out a crate, the man slipped it through the slot and said, "There's your Marine Battle Dress Uniform. Grade A Titanium armor plates ensure that you can survive multiple rounds of armor piercing, 7.62x51mm NATO rounds at close range. The helmet's made of the same material, with a composite undershell that is padded for comfort, and comes fully equipped with an electronic suite. Beyond that, you have your standard fabric armor weave, as well as your camouflage fatigues."

Once the Terminator pulled the armor crate out, it said, "I'm ready for more."

"Excellent," the armorer replied. "I see that you've got an M45D Tactical Shotgun in this bag, as well as a M6D. Those are good weapons, but they're in need of maintenance. On top of that, carrying more than two weapons into battle is inconvenient and wasteful. I recommend taking the M6D as your close range weapon, and an Assault Rifle for medium range engagements. "To that end, I'll give you one of our newer weapons." A moment later, the armorer slid a rifle through the slot and onto the receiving tray. Picking the rifle up, the Terminator scanned the weapon it held. **Analysis Complete. Weapon Model: MA5D Individual Combat Weapon System. Type: Gas Operated, Rotating Bolt Firearm. Caliber: M1200 7.62x51mm NATO Full Metal Jacket – Armor Piercing. Capacity: 32+1 rounds. Rate of fire: 625 rpm. Effective Range: 400m. Maximum Range: 2400m.**

While it was examining the weapon, the armorer repeated the specifications that it already had access to. "Here's some ammunition to go with the weapon too. It's the M1200 round, which utilizes a tungsten-carbide tip that aids in penetration when facing Covenant body armor, as opposed to the steel core the M118 uses. One tip to remember about the MA5D. If you want to squeeze every bit of accuracy that you can get out of it, fire in short, controlled bursts. Spraying and praying is a good way to get yourself killed when going up against Covenant forces. If you're strong enough to control the recoil, then that's good for you. If not, then you'll be dead, and that's no joke."

"Are there any accessories that I can apply to this weapon," the Terminator asked.

"Yes," the armorer replied. "Only UNSC Servicemen have access to those, however. Trained recruits only get the stock version, so that we can accurately gauge your combat proficiency. Now, get your gear on and get out there. I have thirty more seasoned recruits to go through, and you're wasting time." Taking the hint, the Terminator moved to a restroom in the building, where it took the time to get dressed in it's new armor and gear. The Terminator determined that the fatigues, combined with the titanium armor plates, were suitable for it's purposes. Any plasma attacks would be successfully stopped by the triple armored combat chassis that all T-850's, including the Lima series, were equipped with.

The helmet was also well made, but the software was very poor by Terminator standards. Using it's wireless transmitter, the Terminator analyzed the software, and began making major changes. After just fifteen seconds, the Terminator had fully upgraded the software in the helmet, while also improving the camera helmet's software at the same time. With it's gear ready to go, the Terminator stepped out of the rest room and began heading to the combat range. The Firing/Combat Range was fairly expansive and comprehensive, with sections devoted to testing climbing skills, balance, hand-eye coordination, battlefield stress resistance and other areas needed for a soldier to perform optimally in. There was also a firing range, where trainers would determine the accuracy and weapons proficiency of each soldier. As it was the first individual out in the range, the Terminator took a seat and waited for the others to arrive.

Once the others arrived, a UNSC officer wearing Sergeant's chevrons stepped out in front of them. "Alright, you greenhorns," the man growled at them. "I am Sergeant Richmond, your senior drill instructor. For the duration of this course, and the next six months should you fail, you will be mine to command, and the first things out of your filthy sewers will be sir. Am I clear?"

"Sir, yes sir," the others and the Terminator replied.

"Bullshit, I didn't hear you. Sound off like you have a pair."

"Sir, yes sir."

"You will follow every order I give you to the letter. You will not like me, but the more you hate me, the more you will learn. I am hard, but I am fair. There will be no racial bigotry while you serve me. You are all equally worthless to me." Coming up to one of the men, the Drill Sergeant growled, "What's your name, shithead?"

"Sir, Private Morgan, sir," the man in question shouted.

"Bullshit, your name is Private Dirtbag now. You like that name?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Now I have some bad news for you, Private Dirtbag. They do not serve Kentucky Fried Chicken and Roasted Pork on a regular basis here. Am I understood?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"That's the only thing you're good at, you worthless meathead," the Drill Sergeant growled. For the next few minutes, he grilled each and every one of them. The only person he seemed to respect was the Terminator, as he asked the machine, "What's your name, asshole?"

"Private Parsons, sir," the Terminator replied.

"You afraid of dying, son?

"Sir, no sir."

"Are you sure that you would willingly lay down your life it it meant saving the entire UNSC?"

"Sir, yes sir."

"Well, at least we have a man here, instead of a meathead," the Drill Sergeant growled. "Now, get out there now! If you fail, you are mine to command for the next six months. You will move your asses to the combat range, or I will _move_ your asses to the combat range. Understood?"

"Sir, yes sir," came the unified shout. In unison, the mercenaries and Terminator moved to the combat range, where it would be determined if they were able to be pressed into service immediately, or slated for six months in boot camp here. Hopefully, it would be the former instead of the latter.

Once they were down at the firing range, the Drill Sergeant shouted, "Now, all of you will complete this course in five minutes and thirty seconds. If you take too long, you will be slated for boot camp. If you do no cooperate, you will be penalized. You will shoot the targets that pop up in each range, which will determine your accuracy under stress. Can you understand that, meatheads?"

"Sir, yes sir," the group replied.

"You'd better. This exercise starts… NOW!" Just like that, the exercise began.

Out of all the individuals in the group, the Terminator was the only one that wasn't inhibited by the armor and gear it had on it's person. Moving through the first obstacle course, the Terminator smoothly vaulted over the obstacles. At the same time, targets began to pop up in front of the Terminator. Firing it's MA5D, the Terminator smoothly destroyed each of the targets that appeared, which were images of Covenant personnel that the UNSC Marines would face in the field of combat. Some targets took more shots than others, to simulate the Covenant's use of energy shields. Others were well hidden, until they popped out of nowhere to surprise anyone that wasn't being attentive.

Reaching the end of the first obstacle course, the Terminator found itself facing a wall that was too high for a normal person to reach. While it could've cleared the wall easily, the Terminator needed to act human, and any superhuman acts would draw attention to itself. Therefore, it allowed one of the mercenaries to take a kneeling stance, allowing the man to boost it up the wall. The other mercenaries around the group did the same as well. Reaching the top of the wall, the Terminator grabbed the hand that the mercenary offered and pulled him up, ignoring the startled gasp the man made when he was hefted up like a sack of potatoes.

The rest of the obstacle course was just as easy as well, with the Terminator smoothly terminating each target with precision. Balancing was very easy for the Terminator, as advanced, electronic gyroscope systems allowed the machine to maintain perfect balance as it placed one foot ahead of the other. It's partner nearly fell off, only for the Terminator to grab the man and right his balance. Reaching the end of the wood pole it was standing on, the Terminator jumped off and immediately dove for the ground, landing on it's chest as it began to crawl forwards.

As soon as it did, gunfire and artillery shells began to explode all around, simulating a combat situation. This was where some of the mercenaries began to crack, as one of them started to shout obscenities, while another gave a choked cry. The rest continued to power through the crawl, with the Terminator out in the lead as it continued to move forwards. Suddenly, the Terminator felt something hit it's right leg. **Analyzing impact… Analysis Complete. Damage Caused by Shrapnel Impact. Myomer Functions Partially Inhibited. Damage to Myomers: Negligible. Chassis Damage: Superficial. Remove shrapnel to Restore Function.** Determining that the repair could wait, the Terminator continued to press onward, still doing better than the others despite the handicap it now had. Getting out of the trenches, the Terminator got up onto it's feet, with a small amount of blood trailing down it's fatigues as it ran forwards. Moments later, it reached the end of the course, where a medic, who'd spotted the injury, came forwards to remove the shrapnel. There was a moment of doubt, then the medic removed the metal sliver from the Terminator's right leg and gave him a thumbs up. **Damage Repaired. Operational Capacity Restored. Cleared for Combat Engagements.**

Moments later, the Drill Sergeant came up the Terminator. "Well, there's some good news, shithead. You've passed the course with a perfect score. Only you, your partner, and two other people passed. The rest failed the course. You will report to the CO of this base for your assignment immediately. Am I understood?"

"Sir, yes sir," the Terminator replied.

"Good. The rest of you, head to the gym. It's boot camp time for all of you." There was some collective groaning as the rest of the mercenaries left the area, while the Terminator and his partner began walking to the CIC (Combat Information Center), where the CO of the base was located at.

"Wow," his partner, a man identified as Edward Gomez, remarked. "You were just killing the course there. I don't think I've ever met anyone else that's as good as you are. Where did you get your training?"

"I received it from a fellow mercenary," the Terminator replied.

"Really," the man remarked. "What was his name?"

"John Connor."

"John Connor, eh. Reminds me of the man in the _Terminator_ franchise. If he's that good and he taught you, I've got to meet him someday. I've got a few things that I need to brush up on as well. Still, let's head to the CIC. I'll bet the CO really wants to meet us today." Both men expedited their progress a moment later.

* * *

Inside the CIC, Colonel Urban Holland was busy working out the paperwork for the day. He'd just gotten back from SWORD Base, where he'd learned that there had been an unusually large transmission from an undisclosed location to the Visegrad Wavespace Communications Relay. They had intercepted the transmission and looked at the contents inside. According to the ONI Analysts, the data packet was designed, FOR UNSC/ONI EYES ONLY, which had drawn some concern from the analysts. To their surprise, the data packet contained schematics for what appeared to be highly advanced, military drone systems. On top of that, the data packet also contained schematics for what appeared to be highly advanced plasma weaponry, as well as information on how to retool UNSC factories on Earth to produce the new weaponry. The data packet, however, listed that the construction and assembly of what were called 'Automated Construction Vehicles', or ACV's for short, were the top priority. Further information revealed that the reason this was so was because the ACV's were capable of creating large, underground factories within a maximum time period of 48-72hrs, which was quite fast. Further analysis revealed that there were no computer viruses inside of the data packet.

As a result, Colonel Holland had requested that the data packet be allowed to continue to it's destination, which was Earth, and any industrial colonies that hadn't been discovered by the Covenant. After a couple hours of deliberation, ONI had granted Holland permission to do so, which he immediately conducted around thirty minutes ago. Now, he was going through a copy of the schematics with a keen eye. _What surprises me is the sophistication that this 'Phased Plasma Weaponry' shows,_ Holland thought to himself. _If UNSC Marines and Army personnel were to get their hands on this weaponry, we could, effectively, strip away the Covenant's greatest advantage: their technological superiority. The armor designs are also quite sophisticated as well, almost on the level that MJOLNIR Powered Armor rests at._

What had Holland's attention the most, however, were the schematics for what the data packet called 'Terminators.' According to the information, a Terminator was a bipedal machine that was designed to be a highly advanced combat platform. The use of a triple armored combat chassis that was designed to withstand plasma attacks meant that the Terminators could easily withstand the Covenant's weaponry. What really got his attention was that, if done properly, a Terminator could also serve as a highly advanced, infiltration platform. If they had the right equipment, they could design a Terminator that had the skeletal anatomy of an Elite. This, combined with a living tissue sheath that perfectly mimicked the appearance of an Elite, would allow ONI to perfectly infiltrate the Covenant's government, allowing them to gather intelligence and to assassinate high value targets, while making each assassination look like an unfortunate accident. _It could turn the war around._

A moment later, Holland's musings were interrupted when his messaging system pinged. "What is it," he asked.

"You have two men outside waiting to speak with you sir," DOT, the AI assigned to Noble Team, replied. "They are waiting for their assignments, sir."

"Send them in." Moments later, two men walked inside the office when the door slid open. The first was Edward Gomez, a professional mercenary that had enlisted into the UNSC via the Mercenary Recruitment Program that had been set up. He was a tall man, with blond colored hair, bright green eyes, and a scar that ran down his neck, which he had explained was from an animal attack. The second man was also tall. His hair was a dark brown color, his eyes were a hazel green color, and he had strong facial features. The moment Holland looked at him, however, he felt a very odd chill running down the length of his spine. He didn't know how, but he knew that if he attacked Parsons, the man before him, he would most likely lose the fight quickly.

Looking at the two men, he said, "I take it you've passed the certification program required for mercenaries."

"Affirmative," Parsons replied.

"That's good news," Holland replied. "I don't know if you know already, but the UNSC is losing the war, badly. We're running low on men and women who can fight, and those that can are either already in service, or have refused to serve for various reasons. That's why the Mercenary Recruitment Program was created: to create a new source of experienced personnel that the UNSC can use. So far, it's proven to be successful, and we have a number of men that we desperately needed in the coming fight."

Getting up from his desk, Holland said, "As for your assignments, here are your orders. You are going to be the first response team in the event Visegrad Relay goes offline. It's our primary FTL communications link to the rest of the Inner Colonies and Earth."

"Why is that so important, if I may ask," Gomez asked.

"The loss of the Visegrad Wavespace Communications Relay would prevent Reach from calling for help if attacked," the Terminator explained. "The Insurrection is the likeliest suspect in the neutralization of the Relay. However, if the Covenant decide to do something about it as well, we could be looking at a major invasion."

"Exactly," Holland replied. "Five months ago, the Insurrection pulled a heist on Harmony. They hit a Relay to take out our eyes and ears, then stole two freighters from drydock. That can't happen here; Reach is too damn important. Should the relay go down, you will be part of a trooper fireteam that will head to the Relay to determine the cause of it shutting down. Should it be due to the Insurrection or the Covenant, you will immediately report this to me ASAP. Is that understood?"

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied.

"Good," Holland replied. "Now, get some rest, both of you. You'll need your strength in the event that possibility happens." Moments later, both men walked out of the CIC.

* * *

Sometime later, the Terminator was lying on the cot that it had been assigned to, making it appear as though it was asleep. The only difference was that it was wearing it's own armor still, including the helmet that it had recently reprogrammed. Normally, this would be uncomfortable for anyone, but the Terminator didn't have any nerve endings in it's living tissue sheath, and it's combat chassis systems wouldn't be damaged by the action. As a result, it was lying there, monitoring the computer networks for any signs of anomalous activity.

The sound of snoring nearby indicated that Edward Gomez was fast asleep. Gomez, according to his personnel report, was a light sleeper, and that he attempted to get as much rest as possible, wherever he could. The Terminator knew that, in the Resistance, that was a useful habit, as Resistance personnel often tried to get as much sleep as possible so that they'd be ready in the event that they were attacked by Skynet's own units. After they had been recruited into the UNSC, the Terminator had gone back to the Armorer in order to acquire upgrades for it's weaponry. The MA5D it had had just been modified with a COG Sight, a futuristic variation of the M16A4's ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight), as well as an Extended Casket Magazine, Muzzle Brake and a few other features. The M6D had an Extended Magazine, as well as a Projection Sight that linked up with the Terminator's own targeting systems, thought the armorer wasn't aware of that at all. As it monitored the network, the Terminator immediately noticed an anomaly. **ALERT: Anomalous Relay Activity Detected. Analyzing… ALERT: Visegrad Wavespace Communications Relay Offline. Signal Termination Detected. Investigate Cause of Relay Signal Termination.**

Apparently, Holland had been alerted as well, as there was a loud pinging where the alarm clock was. Gomez immediately shot up from his bed and sat up, his hair a mess as he tried to determine what had happened. In contrast, the Terminator simply sat up and swung it's legs over the edge of the bed, before grabbing it's MA5D. "You slept in your armor," Gomez remarked. "Connor must've been hardcore to teach you how to do that well."

Instead of replying, the Terminator immediately headed out to the helipad, where a Falcon was currently waiting at. Colonel Holland was there as well, his tired features indicating his recent awakening, but he was fully dressed in his uniform. "We have a situation at Visegrad Relay," he informed the Terminator once Gomez was there, fully dressed and ready. "Visegrad Relay has gone offline for unknown reasons. I need you two to investigate as to why that happened."

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. "We will report whatever we find is wrong with the relay."

"Good," Holland replied. "Good luck to you two. You'll need to fly to Visegrad Relay's vehicle depot from here. It's about an hour's flight. Once you're there, you'll drive to the nearby Relay and investigate the source of the disturbance. You'll have six other people going with you. Good luck." With that, the two boarded the Falcon, which fired up it's engines and took off.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Colonel Holland, there was already someone at the Relay's location, someone that was infinitely better equipped for dealing with the Covenant than his forces were. Near a small farm that was near the Relay, William Torrance was getting his gear ready to go. It had been a long drive from New Alexandria to Visegrad Relay, but thankfully, he'd gotten here just in time to set up his tent and grab a refreshing six hours of sleep. An MRE later, and he was inspecting his weaponry, having already put on his armor.

The armor that he wore was similar to the armor that ODST's, short for Orbital Drop Shock Trooper, wore on their missions, only more angular in appearance, was matte black in color and had more coverage. The armor was fabricated out of an advanced, ablative nanocomposite that was designed to withstand both ballistic and energy attacks. The ablative nature of the armor meant that any energy, thermal or kinetic, meant that the wearer would be unharmed, though the armor would have to be replaced eventually. Underneath was an advanced, nanoweave bodysuit that used polymer-matrix nanocomposites to provide protection for areas that weren't covered by the armor plating. The suit was also environmentally sealed, with a life support system that provided up to a full day of oxygen in vacuum and in hostile environments. This was especially useful, since William had been on missions where Skynet had created a hostile environment, or the Resistance needed to eliminate a Skynet installation that was in orbit around Earth.

The weaponry he had was also being checked out for any needed repairs. The V-25A Phased Plasma Rifle was the premiere, select fire plasma weapon that the Resistance used. Using superheated hydrogen plasma, the rifle fired a purple-white bolt of plasma within the 40 kilowatt range at Mach 3, using a rail accelerator that was built into the barrel of the weapon. This augmented the phased plasma bolt's thermal energy with kinetic energy, making it highly effective against Terminator, HK units and Turrets that Skynet used. The V-15B Phased Plasma pistol also fired a supersonic plasma bolt, with the plasma from the handgun being in the 10 kilowatt range. _The good news is that the Covenant will be vulnerable to phased plasma bolts,_ William thought to himself. He'd studied the information the Terminator had gotten for him once he'd gotten to the farm near Visegrad Relay. The fact that they were fighting aliens had been unnerving at first, but Torrance had learned that, as long as he thought of the enemy as specially designed Terminators from Skynet, he was able to get over the initial novelty.

After a few minutes of inspection, he knew his weaponry and armor were ready to go. Looking at his datapad, he noticed that he had gotten an encrypted communique from the Terminator. The message read, **ALERT: Visegrad Relay Offline. Currently Traveling with Private Edward Gomez to Visegrad Relay. Will be there at 0450hrs. Remain Hidden Until Unit Attacked by Hostile Covenant/Insurrectionist forces.**

 _OK, I see what he means,_ William thought. _The Terminator has me as it's backup plan in the event it's outnumbered or captured. Well, the good news is that I'm ready to go. I'll take up position and wait for it to call for help, then I'll come._ With that decided, Alex decided to head to the Relay. If the bridge was out, he could use the thrusters built into his armor to bridge the gap. Without further ado, he got up and began heading for the Relay.

* * *

Around an hour later, the Terminator was calm and silent as they drove towards the Relay. Once they'd gotten to the nearby vehicle depot, they'd gotten the Warthog that was assigned to them and drove off, just as the others arrived at the facility as well. During the trip to the Relay, the Terminator had made sure it's weaponry was ready to go; now it was just waiting to reach the destination. The sheer darkness that surrounded the vehicle prevented viewing for a normal human being, and lent the air a mysterious and malevolent feeling. The Terminator, however, had ocular sensors that could amplify the amount of light coming in, similar to how Night Vision Goggles worked. As a result, what a human perceived as darkness was as bright as a sunny day for a Terminator.

The Relay was reminiscent of a radio telescope that 21st Century human beings used for mapping the stars and finding their locations in the galaxy. In actuality, Visegrad Relay worked by using wavespace, an alternative form of Slipstream Space, to send information to other colonies and to Earth, which was just 10.5 ly away from Earth. It was mostly short range communications, as communications were less accurate over longer distances, but it served it's purpose, and served it well. As soon as they were close enough, they got out of the vehicle and entered the parking lot, with the six other people that came along as well. "Alright, here's the plan," the squad leader, Sergeant Alan Wright, informed them. "Fireteam One will head into the Relay Substation and try to get the system back online. Fireteam Two will serve as a rearguard in the event we have Innies or, worst case scenario, Covenant forces here. We clear?"

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied.

"Good. All personnel, move out!" With that, each team moved out, keeping their weapons at the ready. Shortly afterwards, all hell broke loose. Shortly after Alan talked, the Terminator felt something penetrate the armor it was wearing. Whirling around, the Terminator was caught by the throat by an unseen foe. Looking around, it could see that it's human allies were being quickly terminated by Spec Ops Elites, with a group of what it determined were Elite Zealots in the mix. Only a few Marines were spared, most likely for interrogation.

Moments later, the Elite spoke in English. "Commander," it said in a deep, resonant voice, "this human survived. What should we do?"

"Bring it over here," one of the Zealots ordered. Dragging the Terminator over, the Elite tossed the Terminator down to the ground, unaware that it had called for help. It was then picked up by the Zealot, who held the Terminator close to it's face. "Ah, the human that survived," the Elite growled. "Don't waste your energy, you'll be dead soon, heretic." Dragging the Terminator over to the wall, the Elite Zealot tossed the Terminator against the wall. The metallic _CLUNK_ of it's combat chassis was muffled by the sound of it's armor hitting the wall, as the Elite began it's interrogation routine. "You can go, brothers," the Zealot ordered the others, with the other Elites disappearing. Leaning in close, the Zealot growled, "You will tell me what I wish to know."

A few hours later, the Terminator was watching as it's comrades were being interrogated by the Elites. They were currently inside a garage that belonged to the neighbors of the farmers, the Elites having killed them already. During it's unwilling journey, the Terminator had spotted some Grunts, Skirmishers and a few other aliens before being locked up in here. Now, most of the Marines were dead, with only Gomez being the survivor. Right now, he was comatose, with blood running down his face from a wound on his head. "Does their pain not stir any sympathy inside of you," his interrogator, an Elite Minor, asked. "Do you not care for your men?" The Terminator remained completely silent. The tactic the Elite was using would've worked for a human, but it didn't know that the Terminator was anything, but human.

Apparently, the Elite realized this tactic wasn't working, as it grabbed the Terminator by the throat and said, "Tell me what I wish to know, or I will silence you." Tossing the Terminator to the ground, the Elite pulled out a Needler Rifle and aimed it at the Terminator. When the Terminator didn't reply, the Elite said, "So be it, heretic." Firing a single shot, the Elite watched as the machine flopped onto it's back, with the man's eyes wide open. Satisfied, the Elite left to report to his superiors.

What the Elite didn't know, as that the Terminator hadn't even been _damaged_ by the attack. As the Needler Rifle was a projectile weapon, the crystal had actually shattered at the point of impact, with the energy being dissipated by the Terminator's hyperalloy nanocomposite. In order to maintain the illusion that it was human, however, the Terminator had behaved like a human being shot. As the Elite's footsteps became quieter, the Terminator got up off it's back and onto it's feet, before retrieving it's weapons. Looking at the dead body of Edward Gomez, the Terminator walked over and, in a gesture of what people would call respect, closed the man's eyes with a hand. Getting up, it began to leave the premises. Mission Parameters Updated: Acquire Covenant Plasma Pistol for offensive use. Terminate Covenant Forces. With it's parameters updated, the Terminator moved out, ready to bring the fight to the Covenant.

* * *

At the same time the Terminator was being 'interrogated', William was in position near the farmhouse. Under the guise of an OSDT, he'd informed the nearby farmers to get to a safe location and to lock the door shut. Given that he looked very similar to an ODST, he was able to fool the farmers into complying. When they asked him why he was telling them this, William had informed them that the Covenant were on Reach, and that he had been sent out as he was field testing new equipment.

Fortunately, the farmers had bought the cover story and did exactly as he told them to. Now that he was approaching the neighbors farm, he could see the Covenant's strike force milling about. _D*mn,_ he thought. _They're uglier in person than they are on a data pad screen._ He was currently perched on a rock roughly 50 meters away from the location that the Terminator had been taken to. He'd seen what had happened at the Relay and, after some thought, decided to wait and see what was going to happen. When he heard the screams, he had almost fired his V-25A, but he waited some more. Only on his friends signal would he unleash the full fury of Resistance technology on the Covenant.

As he watched the area near the garage, he heard a pinging sound inside his helmet. William immediately got up from his crouching position, as that was the signal that the Terminator was ready for him to fight. Looking down the digital scope of his V-25A, William's sights settled onto one of the Elites in the area. As soon as the Elite was in his scope, he placed his finger on the trigger… and fired.


	4. Blitzkrieg

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - Terminator crossover. This is going to be one of the most exciting chapters in my crossover, given how much action takes place in it. For those of you wanting to see some action, this is the chapter to read. Either way, thank you for your support, and I hope to see you in later chapters.   
> As always, leave a comment, a kudo or two, and enjoy!  
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Terminator franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Carolo Pictures, Hemdale, Skydance Productions, 20th Century Fox, Lightstorm Entertainment, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to it's original developers, producers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.

**Sewer Battle – Terminator: Resistance OST**

**Reach**

**Near Visegrad Relay**

**July 25th, 2552**

The Covenant were prepared for many things during the course of the Covenant-Human War. When they began their initial assault on Humanity, they had made great progress into their territory. They were prepared for the weaponry that the UNSCDF used in it's arsenals; they were prepared for the infantry and large scale tactics the UNSC used. What they weren't prepared for was what happened when Humans got their hands on advanced, plasma based weaponry… and knew how to use them with maximum effectiveness.

The moment that Sergeant William Torrance pulled the trigger of his V-25A, the Elite he had targeted was dead. Phased plasma bolts shout out of the bullpup rifle at supersonic velocity, hammering the shields that the Elite's Combat Harness was projecting. Within just two bolts, the phased plasma overloaded the shields with ease. Penetrating the armor, the plasma bolts tore through the Elite's tough skin and into it's body. The plasma bolt diffused into a superheated cloud of hydrogen plasma that immediately filled the Elite's body cavity. Organs were flash-cooked, converted into cooked meat the moment the superheated plasma cloud enveloped them. Blood flash boiled into steam, depriving the remaining organs of vital oxygen. The Elite screamed in pain as this happened inside of it almost instantly, the alien clutching it's chest as it collapsed to the ground. Alarmed by the screech of pain, the other Elites, Grunts and Skirmishers whirled around, hearing a loud, percussive warbling sound as plasma bolts tore through the air. Jumping down from his perch, William Torrance advanced on the Covenant forces, firing purple-white phased plasma bolts in short, controlled bursts.

Shocked by the appearance of advanced, _human_ plasma weaponry, the Covenant didn't retaliate until a couple of Skirmishers went down, screaming as the plasma flash cooked their internal organs. At that, the Covenant immediately retaliated, sending slower moving plasma bolts at the human that had opened fire on them. To their surprise, a shimmering blue-white field of energy blocked the plasma, allowing the human to duck into cover a moment later. That wasn't all they had to deal with. The Elite Minor that had interrogated the Marines snarled as he ducked down into cover, avoiding the supersonic plasma bolts the new human was firing from it's weapon. Popping out of cover, he was about to fire when suddenly, his own shields failed. Pain lanced through his body as bullets tore through his Combat Harness' nanolaminate armor. Falling onto his back, the Elite watched as the human he had executed walked towards him, like a revenant that had risen from the grave to sate it's lust for revenge. "What are you," he gasped as the human approached.

"I am a Terminator," the human replied. "You and your Covenant will be terminated." Moments later, the human fired it's weapon at the Elite, ending the Sangheilian's life instantly. Moving quickly, the Terminator quickly got into cover, avoiding the plasma bolts that the Covenant were firing at it. Linking it's targeting systems with the MA5D, the Terminator popped out of cover, firing the Grenade Launcher it had installed onto it's rifle before firing hyper-accurate bursts of 7.62mm NATO projectiles. Caught in the crossfire, the Covenant forces here were quickly overwhelmed by both men.

As soon as the last Covie was dead, William got out of cover and walked over to Richard. "I was wondering what you were doing in there," he remarked. On a more serious note, he said, "How's your combat chassis? Your body armor took a few hits from that plasma."

"My combat chassis is fully operational," the Terminator replied. "The Covenant's plasma weaponry is not as strong as the weaponry used by the Resistance. Their plasma weaponry has been rated as 1.5 Generation plasma weaponry."

"I see," William remarked. "Good to see that you're still operational." After a moment, he asked, "Did anyone else come with you here? I noticed that you mentioned trooper fire teams in your communique to me."

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. "I was accompanied by Fireteam One and Two. Fireteam One is KIA. Fireteam Two is MIA. It is likely that they are currently trapped in another part of the valley."

"Right," William replied. "We'll need to rescue them and get them out of here. What's the quickest way towards the second Fireteam?"

"There are a series of paths that lead from this area to the neighboring parts of the region," the Terminator replied. "It is my recommendation that we investigate those areas and look for any survivors, UNSC and civilian alike."

"Agreed," William replied. "I had a few civilians take cover inside of their home and wait it out. We'll head on through the garage that you were being 'interrogated' in; with luck, we'll be able to find a ride out at the end of this valley." With that, William left, with the Terminator picking up a Plasma Pistol from one of the dead Grunts.

Moving through the abandoned house, the two men proceeded to enter a large, open area that had a fuel tank in the center, as well as a number of sheds and stalls that animals were usually stored in. Spotting more hostile contacts, the Terminator immediately opened fire, killing a couple Grunts and a few Skirmishers that got too close to dodge the supersonic projectiles. Spotting the fuel tank, William pulled the Terminator into cover, before pumping a few plasma bolts into the metal. The fuel tank detonated explosively, the fuel inside igniting as soon as the superheated plasma reached the fumes and liquid fuel. The force of the detonation, and the shrapnel flying through the air, tore into any Covenant forces that were nearby. A Skirmisher fell to the ground, it's body fully pierced by the metal shrapnel emerging from it's chest and back. With the fuel detonated, the two men came out of cover, firing their weapons at any Covenant forces in the area.

Ducking behind a metal panel fence, William leaned out of cover to see more Grunts, Skirmishers, a couple Jackals and an Elite Minor leading the group. Targeting the Elite Minor, William pumped a few plasma bolts into the alien's body, the Elite jerking spasmodically as plasma tore through it's shields and armor. With their leadership dead, the Grunts immediately scattered, while the Jackals and Skirmishers continued to press on. They were rewarded for their persistence with plasma and bullets. On the left side of the area, the Terminator continued to terminate any Covenant forces in it's line of sight. Dodging a massive plasma bolt, the Terminator watched as a Grunt overcharged it's Plasma Pistol, intent on using the EMP to fry the Terminator's internal systems. Redirecting fire, the machine terminated the Grunt, cataloging the new feature on it's own plasma pistol.

Spotting an opportunity, the Terminator overcharged it's own plasma pistol before firing at an Elite Major. The Elite gave a surprised shout as it's shields failed, only for that shout to be terminated with a few bullets to the skull. The Elite had only just collapsed as it's forces scattered into disarray, making it easier for the Terminator to neutralize the remaining Covenant forces in it's AO. Nearby, William continued to lay down a punishing salvo of phased plasma bolts. Spotting a group of Grunts trying to run away, he fired more plasma bolts in their direction, killing the Grunts immediately. With that, the area fell silent, as there were no more Covenant forces in the area. "All clear," he shouted.

"Negative," the Terminator replied. "I am detecting more heat signatures in the area ahead. The Covenant have just learned of our capabilities. They are sending more Elites towards us."

"Bring 'em on," William replied. "I've got more than enough shots to take them out."

Moving up, the two man squad moved up into the next area. The area ahead opened up into a large, grassy area that was framed by the tall mountains off in the distance. It was clear that this was where any animals the farm owners had would graze, as William could see more hay bales, tall grass, and a number of piles of hay in the area. He could also see what he thought were crops growing in the fields. Some of the plasma bolts had hit the crops, setting a few ablaze.

Looking at the sky, William could see that it was dawn, as the Sun broke through the clouds, glinting brightly as it cleared the mountains that framed the valley they were in. The gas giant that was perpetually in Reach's sky loomed overhead, like a vigilant guardian that was protecting the planet from any preternatural event. _Unfortunately, this is anything but preternatural_ , William thought as he spotted movement up ahead. His Helmet HUD immediately identified the incoming contacts as Skirmishers, a close relative of the Jackals that had been using the plasma shield gauntlets. Taking aim, he fired off single bolts of plasma, while the Terminator fired single rounds at the aliens. The aim both men had was directly on target, as Skirmishers began falling down like ninepins to the ground. One Skirmisher's head exploded in a rather gory fashion, courtesy of the Terminator's hyper accurate aim. Another one tumbled to the ground dead, it's organs flash cooked by a plasma bolt from William's V-25A.

Moments later, the Elites emerged onto the top of the hill. These Elites were wearing white colored armor that had blue and light purple accents. Having seen what had happened to their comrades, these Elites didn't charge out into the field; rather, they took cover behind anything that had substantial mass, before firing on the two men. Ducking into cover, William began laying down cover fire, while the Terminator fired another grenade from it's Underbarrel GL. The grenade, which had been set for airburst, detonated behind the first row of Elites, shattering their shields and damaging their armor. With their shields down, the Terminator immediately advanced, running at 45 km/h in order to get behind the Elites before their Combat Harness' recharged their shields. Their cover rendered useless, the Elites fired back at the Terminator. The Terminator fired back more accurately, however, sending tungsten carbide tipped bullets into each Elite's head or body. Three tumbled to the ground, their corpses pelted full of holes, while the others quickly backpedaled in an attempt to find cover. They were promptly killed when William took advantage of their backpedaling, as he fired off a burst of plasma rounds.

That left the second row of Elites, who were actively moving to dodge as many plasma bolts as they could. While this tactic would've worked when faced with Covenant plasma weaponry, it had little effect against the supersonic plasma bolts that the V-25A fired. As a result, two more Elites fell to the ground, while the three remaining Elites were gunned down by the Terminator, after a healthy dose of shrapnel from a grenade launcher. Checking his V-25A's fusion mag, William could see that he had roughly 350 rounds left in the magazine. "Whew," he remarked as he got out of cover. "Those Elites are adapting very quickly. They began taking cover the moment they realized I had a hyper advanced plasma rifle."

"Projectiles are ineffective against the energy shielding the Covenant use," the Terminator replied. "Armor is easily penetrated, but energy weapons are required for Covenant shields. I will need a replacement attachment in lieu of the standard GL."

"I've got that covered," William replied. "I brought with me a Magnetic Grenade Launcher that can be fitted to the bottom of your rifle. I've also got a few 40mm Plasma Grenades with me as well. Nothing quite does the job as well as an expanding cloud of electrical plasma." The Magnetic Grenade Launcher, or MGL, was about the same size as the UNSC's version of the MGL. It also used the same mounting system, though William had to use the optional power pack in order to provide the device with the necessary power. Once installed, he handed the Terminator some 40mm Plasma Grenades that it could use. "Excellent," the Terminator remarked, slipping the grenades into armored pouches. During this time, William took a moment to look the Terminator over. The front armor the Terminator was using had warm craters where Covenant weapons fire had struck, though it was clear the armor hadn't been penetrated yet. The back armor plate, however, had a single, narrow hole that penetrated fully through the armor. Beyond that, the armor was fully intact, and still usable. "You ready," he asked the Terminator.

"Yes," was the reply.

"Good," William beamed. The Terminator smoothly reloaded it's weapon as William moved ahead, making sure there were no more Covenant contacts.

Moving up, the two man squad approached a sharply descending earthen ramp, with two vehicles that were at the base of the ramp. There was also a small, sharp drop that was present as well, though both men avoided that in order to avoid injury. The two vehicles were civilian grade offroad jeeps, not ideal for combat situations, but still better than nothing. Climbing into the drivers seat, the Terminator pressed the ignition button and gunned the engine, while William held onto the back, with his plasma rifle in tow. The vehicle's engine roared as they charged down the hill, the headlights casting long shadows as they drove onward. Spotting a group of Skirmishers, the Terminator calculated the optimal trajectory to intercept them before adjusting it's course. Three of the Skirmishers dodged to the left, successfully avoiding the vehicle. The other three, however, didn't have enough time, and were unceremoniously crushed under the vehicle's weight. Turning to face the back, William fired off a burst of plasma bolts, killing the Skirmishers that had dodged the incoming vehicle.

Their first stop was at another farmhouse, which was located at the edge of a small stream. Another offroad jeep was parked here as well, along with several fuel tanks, and what appeared to be a UNSC radio. The Covenant were here as well, as both men spotted Covenant forces moving about inside the structure. "Do you have a shotgun," William asked the Terminator.

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. It pulled out a M45D Tactical Shotgun that it had salvaged from one of the dead Marines. Having installed a Modified Grade choke into the weapon, the Terminator pumped the slide before getting out. William hopped off the vehicle as well, rifle ready in order to engage any Covenant forces that got too close. Moving inside the structure, both men found themselves in a close quarters firefight with the Covenant. Moving up, the Terminator fired a shell at an Elite that was not fast enough, killing the alien with a concentrated blast of 0 buckshot to the chest. Rounding the corner, the Terminator began rapidly firing the shotgun, each blast ending the life of a pair of Grunts, a couple Skirmishers and any Elites that were unlucky enough to be caught in the blast. Coming out of cover, an Elite punched the Terminator in the face, hoping to disorient it. Instead of doing that, the Elite was surprised when the Terminator turned it's head back to it and, grabbing the Elite by the chest armor, hurled it into the fireplace. There was a loud _CRACK_ as the Elite's neck broke upon impact, the alien's head rolling around at an odd angle. With the threat neutralized, the Terminator continued on it's way.

In the other section of the house, William was having a fun time blasting the Covenant with his plasma weaponry. Since the V-25A was a bullpup weapon, he was able to maneuver it around in the house quite easily, and most of his plasma weaponry was designed for mid-close range as well. As a result, he was blasting a couple of Grunts in the face with his V-25A, before targeting a Jackal that was in the basement. The Jackal hurriedly threw up it's shield gauntlet, blocking some of the plasma rounds. Concentrating fire, William overloaded the shield gauntlet, shattering the shield and tearing into the Jackal on the other side. "That's why you don't remain in one place, idiot," he growled at the dead alien. He was about to continue when an Elite rounded the corner and charged at him. Unable to dodge in time, William was tackled to the ground, just as the Elite pulled out a small Plasma Dagger and stabbed it at his head. Dodging the knife attack, William pulled both legs in and kicked the alien off of him. While it was staggered, William fired from his supine position, pumping the Elite full of plasma bolts. "Stupid," William growled at the Elite before moving on. Eventually, both men had cleared out the house. Getting back outside, William could tell that it was quickly becoming mid-morning. _Time flies when you're fighting for your life,_ he thought to himself. _We need to find those Marines as soon as possible, otherwise we'll be looking at a pile of corpses instead of living people._

As soon as he thought this, the Terminator said, "I am picking up a UNSC Distress signal. It appears to be emanating from the southeast, relative to us."

Moments later, William's radio picked up the distress signal. "Mayday, mayday, mayday, mayday," a UNSC Marine called out. "We're under attack by Covenant forces. I repeat, the Covenant are on Reach."

"That's the missing troopers," William realized. "Let's head there right now. If we move now, we can get to those men before the Covenant do."

"Agreed," the Terminator replied.

Moving towards the trucks, William heard the Marine call out for help again. "Mayday, this is Charlie 3-1. We're under attack by Covenant forces! I've got wounded! We can't hold out much longer!" This only spurred the two men to continue heading to the Marine's location. Eventually, they found the Marines locked in mortal combat against a squad of Covenant forces. Changing the vehicle's trajectory, the Terminator rammed into half a dozen Grunts and a few Jackals and Skirmishers. Dead bodies flew through the air as William opened fire. He could almost see the surprised looks on the Marines faces as phased plasma bolts tore through the Covenant. Stopping the vehicle, the Terminator got out and opened fire on the remaining hostiles, killing them quickly.

"Are you injured," the Terminator asked the lead Marine, Charlie 3-1.

"I'm OK," Charlie 3-1 replied. "Some of my men are wounded. Can you help us out?"

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. "We'll hold off any attackers that approach this position. Once the enemy has been dealt with, we will head out to the Relay and secure it."

"Agreed," the Marine replied. Spotting Torrance, he asked, "Who's that guy, by the way, and what kind of gun is he using?"

"He's a friend," the Terminator replied cryptically. While the Marine wanted to ask more questions, he was promptly interrupted when he saw another Covenant _Spirit_ dropping in. Turning around, the Terminator said, "Get inside the structure. The Covenant will have increased difficulty should your men take cover."

"Good idea," Charlie 3-1 replied, just as he and the others got inside. Taking cover behind some farming equipment, the Terminator and William prepared for the enemy ground forces to land. They weren't disappointed when the Covenant _Spirit_ disgorged more Grunts, Jackals and Skirmishers.

Opening fire, both men, and the UNSC Marines behind them, turned the area beyond the concrete storage room into a killing field. Skirmishers, Grunts and Jackals fell in droves as the defenders fired back with everything they had. In roughly forty seconds, the enemy combatants were dead. As if enraged by this, another Covenant _Spirit_ drop ship landed directly in front of them, disgorging Elites this time, as well as Skirmishers and Jackals. Having heard about their comrade's fates, the Elites immediately took cover behind anything that could stop a plasma bolt. In response, the defenders opened fire once again.

William ducked behind the tractor he was hiding behind as plasma bolts flew overhead, with some impacting the civilian grade titanium alloy on the tractor. Popping out of cover, he fired a burst of plasma bolts in retaliation at the Elites that had fired at him. A tree exploded into a shower of wood fragments and shrapnel as a plasma bolt hit, flash boiling the sap and water that was inside. The upper half of the tree came crashing down onto one of the Elites, pinning the alien to the ground. Before it could extricate itself, William killed it with a burst of plasma. The Terminator was also performing well. Firing a Plasma Grenade, it watched as an expanding sphere of plasma robbed an Elite Major of it's cover and shields, allowing the Terminator to silence it quickly. Spotting a Skirmisher that was getting too close, it terminated the alien with a short, hyper accurate burst from it's MA5D, killing the alien.

Eventually, the amount of aliens that were coming in was reduced to zero, with the last Jackal being killed by the Terminator. "Looks like it's all clear now," William remarked, replacing the spent Fusion Mag with a fresh one. "We'll need to head out to the Relay now."

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. Getting into the offroad jeep, it waited until William was inside before it began to drive on the road that led to the Relay. Following the road, the Terminator spotted the bridge that would take them to the relay.

"Hit the gas," William shouted, pointing at a Covenant _Banshee_ that was on a bombing run towards the bridge. Flooring the pedal, the Terminator accelerated the jeep to it's top speed of 170 km/h. The engine roared loudly as they got onto the bridge, the tires squealing as they briefly slipped on the wet concrete. As soon as they were halfway across the bridge, the _Banshee_ fired a Fuel Cannon shot at the bridge, hitting it at the center. The bridge buckled just behind the jeep, nearly throwing the vehicle off balance. Under the Terminator's uncompromising control, the vehicle remained steady, just as the bridge fell apart behind them.

Continuing to gun the engine, the Terminator drove up the hill and into the parking lot where the Relay was located at. "The Relay entrance is down in the bunker," the Terminator informed William. "We will need to bring the relay back to operational status."

"What about informing your superiors, since your a member of the UNSC now," William asked.

"Our radios are not capable of reaching Colonel Holland," the Terminator replied. "We will need to bring the Relay back online in order to call for help. I will guard the Relay entrance while you head into the back and begin repairing the Relay components if they are damaged."

"Rodger that," William replied. "I'll need your shotgun, however, if I'm going in there. The Covenant might be inside, and nothing's more effective at close range than a blast of buckshot." In response, the Terminator handed William it's shotgun as it got out, with both men heading for the Relay entrance.

Getting inside, William watched as the Terminator took up a guard position at the open gate. The door to the small guard house inside was flash fused, preventing William from getting through via the door. Smashing the glass with his armored hand, William fumbled with the controls, before managing to get the inner door open. Once it was open, he entered the Relay substation, with the door closing behind him. Moving along quickly, William quickly found the controls to reactivate the relay. He groaned when he saw the damage to the relay components. "Fuck," he growled, "plasma damage. Looks like I'll have to get creative with this." He was about to walk forwards when he noticed a body on the ground. Looking at the body, he found that it was an elderly man, most likely in his early seventies, late sixties. The man's jacket had two, thin holes in the back, with a pool of blood underneath the body. _That's plasma damage,_ William thought when he saw the charred parts of the wound. _Someone stabbed this guy with a two pronged plasma weapon, most likely a sword. That means that there are some uninvited guests around here. I'll have to clear them out before I work on the Relay._ Pulling out his shotgun, he racked the slide, chambering a shell. "Come out out, motherfuckers," he growled. "Come and get me."

* * *

Noble Leader, known as Carter, was having a very strange day. When the trooper fireteams sent to investigate Visegrad Relay's shutdown had gone mission, Colonel Holland had called on his team to investigate what had happened. ONI thought that it was a gross misallocation of valuable resources, something that Holland disagreed with. As a result, he'd sent Noble Team to investigate what had happened. When they got to the area surrounding the Relay, they found a destroyed Warthog, as well as a military distress beacon. Further investigation led them to a house, where a group of civilians were taking cover. That was where things got very strange.

According to the farmers, an ODST had appeared out of nowhere, holding a strange weapon in his hands. The ODST had informed them that Covenant forces had landed near the Relay, and were interrogating anyone they could find. As a result, he ordered them get inside a safe location and hide until the Covenant had been eliminated. When they investigated the area the farmers told them about, Carter had been surprised to find a number of dead Grunts, Jackals, Elites and Skirmishers. Some were killed with conventional arms, but the majority of them were killed by what looked like plasma fire. Further investigation revealed more dead Covenant forces, all dead from the same weapons discharge. That was when they found the missing troopers. According to the men, a UNSC Marine identified as Pvt. Richard Parsons had arrived with the man the farmers thought was the ODST and provided much needed fire support. When Carter asked if the man as an Insurrectionist, they said, "No. An Insurrectionist would've left us to die; that man didn't. If anything, he's a hero."

Now, they were getting to the Relay Outpost, where Kat and Emile had gone. "Noble Two, sitrep," he asked her on the comms.

"We're at the Relay Outpost," Kat reported. "Door's locked on the guard booth. Flash fused. I got out my torch and cut my way into the door mechanism. Gonna take some time."

"Affirmative," Carter replied. "Anyone else with you?"

"There's a UNSC Marine here, Private Parsons. He's been guarding this area, but I'm getting an odd radiation count from him. Not at dangerous levels, but enough for me to notice."

"Probably used some plasma grenades," Carter replied. "Anyone else there?"

"He says he came with a friend. He's currently inside, taking care of the Relay. I heard some shotgun fire from in there, so he's probably taking care of hostiles."

"Make sure those men are debriefed when we get back," Carter informed Kat. "Command will want to know what's going on. Parsons will also need medical treatment for radiation exposure when this is over. Over."

"Understood," Kat replied, letting the com-link go dark.

After a minute, the Relay Outpost came into view. Carter immediately noticed that there was an intense firefight going on. Covenant ground troops were engaging Emile and the Private that was with them. Carter arched an eyebrow when he saw a burst of hyper-accurate gunfire neutralize an Elite, just after an explosion stripped the shields off. _Impressive,_ Carter thought. "Put us down on the parking lot," he ordered the Falcon Pilot.

"LZ looks a little hot, sir," the Pilot replied.

"Put her down, pilot," Carter repeated. "Six, break's over." Noble Six, or Six as he was being called, was the newest member of their squad. ONI classified him as a Hyper-Lethal SPARTAN-III that had successfully carried out numerous missions on his own. The only other SPARTAN that was classified as Hyper-Lethal was Sierra-117, the legendary Master Chief.

Six, along with Carter and Jorge, the team's heavy gunner, got out of the Falcon and into the parking lot. Heading down, they watched as the last Covenant enemy was neutralized by the Private, who nailed the Skirmisher with a well placed head shot. "Kat," Carter asked the SPARTAN-III.

"Taking a little longer than I'd hoped," Kat replied. "You should get a commendation for Private Parsons. He's kept a lot of heat off of me."

Looking at the Private, Carter could tell that the man had been through a firefight already. His armor was blackened and pitted in places, and he had a few cuts on his face and parts of his fatigues. Despite the pain he was probably in, the man's face was neutral in expression and he continued to fight admirably well. _He could use a commendation_ , Carter thought. He noticed an odd radiation count coming from Parsons, though that was probably because he used a few Plasma Grenades.

"We've got incoming," Emile shouted.

"It's them," Parsons replied. Again, Carter noticed how calm and collected the Private was, almost as though he was a seasoned veteran instead of a raw recruit. "We will have to terminate them to buy time."

"Agreed," Carter replied. "Jorge, set up near Private Parsons. Give him a little support."

"Rodger that, Captain," Jorge replied. Moments later, the Covenant arrived again.

The area was filled with bullets as the defenders fought back valiantly against the encroaching Covenant forces. Throughout the firefight, Carter watched how Parsons expertly neutralized each Covenant ground trooper that got too close to the entrance. A grenade was fired out from the man's rifle, disabling the shields on an Elite and allowing a burst from the man's MA5D to neutralize the Elite. Eventually, it became clear that the Covenant were coming in too hard and fast to hold off. "Kat," Carter asked as Parsons and Emile eliminated an Elite.

"Just about… there," Kat announced. "Door's closing."

"Alright, people, everyone inside," Carter ordered. Parsons obeyed immediately, getting inside of the base. Walking over to a weapon rack, he pulled out some of the magazines and began unloading them, before loading his own rifle's magazines with the ammunition. As soon as he was finished, the door closed. The inner door was open still, allowing the team to get inside immediately. Carter was about to ask Parsons for light when the Private complied, using a small light to guide them through. Walking inside, Carter could see the body of an elderly man, as well as a Marine leaning against the wall. Apparently, someone had given the Marine much needed medical attention, as his armor was off and he had bandages on his wounds. "Where's the rest of your unit, Corporal," Carter asked the man.

"We got separated from our squad," the man replied. "I don't think they… it sounded bad on the comms. Then someone came by, an ODST I think, came and patched me up. Told me to stay here and wait for rescue."

"Alright, Corporal," Carter said reassuringly. "Hang tight. We'll get you out."

"Damn," Kat growled when she saw the console. "Plasma damage. Someone got to work, but I think they were interrupted by something."

Moving the corpse, Six was surprised when a small data chip fell out of the man's jacket pocket. "I found something," he told Kat, handing her the device.

"I've got that, Six," Kat replied, swiping it from Six's hand. "Not your domain."

"I've got a live one here," Jorge replied, pulling an angry woman out from underneath a staircase. She angrily shouted in Hungarian, probably insulting the man.

As soon as Jorge pulled her out, they heard shotgun fire from behind their position. Turning around, Carter and the others aimed their weapons at the door. Suddenly, there was a shout, then a man in what looked like ODST armor was flung out of the door like he'd been fired out of a cannon. There was a loud _CLUNK_ as the man impacted the wall, knocking him unconscious. Private Parsons almost immediately fired at the open door, moving up immediately. "Parsons," Carter shouted, but the Private was too focused to hear him. Disappearing into the room beyond, Carter could hear more gunfire, then a loud series of explosions as fuel tanks detonated. "Fucking idiot's gonna get himself killed," he muttered. "Five, Six. Move up and support him."

Carter didn't need to worry about the Private, as the man was perfectly fine. The Terminator moved up through the fuel storage area, firing at the Elite Zealots that were in the room. Firing off a grenade, it severely damaged the Zealot's shields, while causing the fuel canisters to detonate. That finished off the Elite's shields, allowing the Terminator to neutralize it; it noted that the strengthened armor made it more difficult for the bullets to penetrate sufficiently. Not wanting to suffer the fate of it's comrade, the other Zealot moved to the server room. Following closely, the Terminator eliminated any resistance in it's path. Hearing footsteps behind it, the Terminator turned to see Noble Five and Six moving up, most likely providing fire support. Turning back around, it continued into the server room.

The server room was dark and quiet, with only the hum of the computers, and the sound of coolant systems running, interrupting the silence. Determining that explosives were unsafe here, the Terminator pulled out it's pilfered Plasma Pistol, while keeping the rifle in it's right hand. Spotting an Elite, the Terminator overcharged the weapon. Just as it did, an Elite with an Energy Sword charged at the Terminator. Immediately reprioritizing the threat, the Terminator fired the overcharged bolt at the Zealot, downing it's shields. As the Elite began charging again, the Terminator aimed it's weapon and dumped every last bullet in the mag into the alien. That was barely sufficient, as the alien tumbled to the ground dead, just a foot away from the Terminator's feet. Hearing gunfire, it watched as the final Elite Zealot was killed by Noble Six. "Noble Five reporting," Jorge reported. "Targets neutralized."

"Kat needs a junction to be reset," Carter replied. "Do it and get back here." Once they reset the junction, the men returned to the Relay Control Room.

* * *

Looking inside, Kat could tell that, whoever attempted to repair the Relay first, had gotten a good start. Some of the components were damaged beyond repair, so the individual had gotten to work splicing into the main overland bundle. Inspired, and just what they needed. "How long," she heard Carter ask.

"The question of my life," she replied. "If the question is, 'how long before this relay is operational again?' Three weeks, max. This is plasma damage. All major uplink components fried."

"Two minutes is too long."

"Which is why I'm doing whoever accessed the panel tried to do: splice into the main overland bundle to get a direct link to Colonel Holland," Kat explained. "You're in my light, Commander."

"Find out what she knows," Carter ordered Jorge. Walking over to Parsons, he said, "That was a boneheaded move, Private. If it wasn't for the fact that we had to reset the junction, you'd be court martialed. Understood?"

"Understood," Parsons replied.

"Good," Carter replied. "You'll have to get medical treatment for your radiation exposure. That will have to wait until we're back at base. Beyond that, I'm putting you up for a promotion for valiant service under fire. You injured?"

"No," the Terminator replied.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now, as to your friend, we'll need to talk, but once we get to SWORD Base for your debriefing. His armor looks like ODST armor, but it's more advanced than what the ODST's get. His weaponry is just as strange as well. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Good," Carter replied.

A moment later, Kat said, "We've got a signal. It's patchy but there."

"I'll take it," Carter replied.

"Best not to touch anything," Cat cautioned. "Don't want to ground this place." Nodding in agreement, Carter took off his helmet and waited for Holland's reply.

"I'm barely getting you," Holland said over the link. "What's your situation?"

"Colonel," Carter replied. "There are no Insurrectionists. The Covenant are on Reach."

"Come again, Noble One. Did you say, Covenant?"

"Affirmative, sir. It's the Winter Contingency."

Carter could hear Holland mutter something under his breath. Then he asked, "What about the fireteams?"

"Only one survived," Carter replied. "Private Parsons performed valiantly above the call of duty. I'm recommending him for promotion. I'm also putting him up for medical treatment for radiation."

"That's funny," Holland remarked. "My assistant detected radiation in our office too. I'd suggest you investigate Parsons when you get the chance, Noble One. Something fishy is going on here."

"Affirmative," Carter replied. "Noble One out." Looking back towards the area the Private had left for, he wondered, _What is going on, Parsons. Why do you have radiation?_ Shrugging his shoulders, he got his helmet back on. Those questions had to wait. Right now, they had to deal with the Covenant on Reach. All other considerations were secondary.


	5. Sword Base & Secrets Revealed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - Terminator crossover. My apologies for not updating recently. I've been busy with life, as well as getting my other crossover updated and reworked. Thank you for your patience. It's been a bit of an interesting month for me, but I'm back now. As always, leave a comment, a kudo or two, and enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Terminator franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Carolo Pictures, Hemdale, Skydance Productions, 20th Century Fox, Lightstorm Entertainment, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their original developers, producers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.

**Terminator Resistance OST - Bridge Action**

**Earth**

**ONI Headquarters**

**July 26th, 2552**

Few things were capable of surprising Margaret Parangosky, the current Director of the Office of Naval Intelligence. Most of the time, she tended to surprise people with what she knew about them, from the smallest details in their school records, to the very ONI projects that they were all working on. As a result, there were few things that were capable of even _unsettling_ her, let alone surprising her. This data transmission, however, was one of those things that surprised her greatly. Looking through the contents, she could see the contents of the data that Earth's Wavespace Relay had received just over 18 hours ago. Currently, she was on the page of the data packet that described how to manufacture the T-850L series of Terminators. The previous parts of the document had served as a primer for what the document was about. From what Parangosky could tell, the person who sent the data packet intended to give the UNSC the means by which it could turn the war against the Covenant in it's favor. When she saw the schematics for the Phased Plasma Weapons, she nearly face palmed at how _easy_ it was for Misriah Armory to retool their facilities to produce the new weapons. There were also schematics for highly compact fusion reactors, advanced construction drones and what were called 'Neural Net Processing Units.' Closing the information file, Parangosky began to think. It was clear that someone had invested the time and money required to design and build highly advanced technology that made what the UNSC had look like a preschooler's toys. Fortunately, the same individual was pro-UNSC, and therefore, had sent the schematics and instructions as a means of saying, 'this is my contribution to the war effort. Make it count. A slight smile crept onto her face when she realized that following these instructions was exactly the best thing she could do. It wasn't often that the best course of action was so plainly obvious. Pressing the call button on her messenger device, she said, "Captain Osman, I have a job for you."

**. . .**

**Reach**

**Approaching Sword Base**

**July 26th, 2552**

The approach to Sword Base was calm and quiet, with only the turboprop engines on the Falcon gunships disturbing the sound. Carter was sitting in the Falcon that was flying to the right of the second one, which was more closely hugging the glacier nearby. Jorge, who was sitting just opposite of him, was looking down at the water, while Kat was attempting to access the contents of the data file, using a data reader to try and get in. So far, she wasn't having any luck at all, as it had consistently blocked her out. Then there was the man that was standing in the Falcon with the two of them. When they left the Relay Outpost, Private Parsons had asked if he could come with them, as the bridge to the Relay Outpost had been destroyed during the Covenant attack. Since he was having to take Parsons to Sword Base anyways, Carter had agreed to take him along on the Falcons the next day, after the Private had gotten treatment for his wounds. Before they'd left, however, Carter had gotten the Private a new set of UNSC BDU's, as the young man's BDU's were almost completely torn to shreds. For someone that had never seen Covenant before, and had probably never used a weapon before, he was actually taking what was happening very well. The young man hadn't even shown any signs of fear or pain from his previous encounter with the Covenant. While the young man was doing well, Carter found he was still getting that faint, but detectable, radiation signature. According to the digital Geiger counter built into his helmet, the young man had been exposed to roughly 2.1 Grays of radiation, enough to cause radiation sickness in a 24 hr period. Since Holland had reported a faint radiation signature the other day, Carter knew that the young man, if he had radiation sickness, was probably doing a very good job of toughing it out. _Either way, he's getting medical treatment when the mission's done,_ he thought.

Then there was the man in the ODST-like armor. According to the man, his name was Sergeant William Torrance, which had prompted Carter to look up the man's identity. Sure enough, he came up on Reach's ID list, but not on the UNSC's database. According to his dossier, he was a private mercenary that had been entrusted with experimental hardware that was being developed by the Watershed Division. That made sense, especially with the weapon he had at his disposal right now, but there were a number of things that didn't add up. A moment later, his musings were interrupted when Sword Base ATC contacted them. "Be advised, Kilo-33 and Kilo-34, your current LZ is too hot.

"Roger that," Carter replied. "Dot, standby to receive and respond." 'Dot', the person in question, wasn't an actual person. She was, in fact, an AI specifically created by ONI for Noble Team for their operations. Carter had worked with her a number of times before, and could reliably say that she had gotten his team out of quite a few messes.

"Yes, Commander," Dot replied, her synthetic, feminine voice echoing through the speakers. "Coordinates received. Initiate immediate course correction. The Office of Naval Intelligence Sword Base is currently under siege from a Corvette-class Covenant vessel. Due to the sensitive nature of this facility, use of orbital rounds has, for the moment, been prohibited. Regrettably, my efforts to obtain relevant data on enemy forces has been unsuccessful, however, current defensive forces are insufficient. ONI has requested Noble Team's direct intervention to help secure Sword Base."

Moments later, they flew over the courtyard outside of Sword Base. True enough, ONI Security and the Covenant were locked into a massive firefight with each other. Unfortunately, the Covenant were slowly gaining ground, driving the security forces further and further back. "Alright people, we're stuck with that ship for the time being," Carter told the two teams. "Let's focus on the hostile infantry – give those Troopers a hand. Kat, Six, Private Parsons, you're out here. Jorge Emile, get prepped. William, you'll assist Kat and her team."

"Yes, sir," came the reply.

"Let's go, Six," Kat told the Spartan. Moments later, they came down close enough to the ground to jump out, with Parsons following behind them. The Private didn't seem to be disturbed by the sight he was seeing, as he simply reloaded his rifle, grenade launcher, and took aim. Kat had to admire that; the young man knew his duty. Moving up, the team quickly engaged the enemy forces. Kat and Six engaged from a distance, using the M392 Designated Marksman Rifles that they had gotten from the Relay Outpost, while Parsons engaged the Covenant at mid to short range. Kat could hear the Private fire his grenade launcher, before using his rifle to tear apart any enemies weakened by the detonation.

Moving up the ramp onto the walkway above, Kat was about to fire when she heard it: a loud, percussive warbling sound. Looking up, she found William on the walkway/platform that was directly opposite to her. To her surprise, instead of spitting out bullets, the weapon William was using was firing what looked like plasma bolts of some kind. Her helmet, which had a scanner suite built into it, identified the bolts as superheated hydrogen plasma that was traveling at supersonic velocities. It was pretty damn effective too, as the plasma bolts were tearing into the Covenant forces. The plasma bolts were energetic enough that it only took around 4 shots to kill an Elite, as one was promptly perforated with plasma bolts right before her eyes. A Grunt was unlucky enough to get hit in the head, with it's head disintegrating under the intense heat from the plasma. Adding insult to injury, the methane tank that the Grunt was wearing detonated explosively, sending shrapnel flying. Down below, on the ground level, Parsons was, simply put, a lean, mean killing machine. The private had gotten into a highly effective routine; whenever he was facing unshielded opponents, he used his rifle to kill them with hyper-accurate bursts to the head. If the target was shielded, the private would fire his GL to disable the enemy contact's shields, before firing a burst into the alien's head. Those that used shield gauntlets often had their exposed hands shot off, causing the alien in question to jerk back, allowing the private to get a clean headshot. Eventually, their combined efforts allowed them to break through the Covenant lines, driving the aliens back down the entrance ramp to the base. Here, a number of Skirmishers and Elites engaged them on sight, firing their weapons as the UNSC/ONI ground forces pushed forwards. "Look out," Kat shouted when an Elite Ultra charged at Parsons, energy sword in hand.

What she saw next, for the first time in a long time, caused Kat's jaw to drop slightly. As soon as the Elite was close enough, the private smoothly moved to the left, causing the Elite's attack to miss completely. In a show of brute strength, the Private smashed the butt stock of the MA5D into the Elite's back, causing the bones to shatter with a loud _CRACK!_ The blow was also powerful enough that the Elite's shields shattered. Roaring in pain, the Elite was about to hit the ground when the Private caught it by it's neck. "Get over here," Parsons shouted calmly, smashing the Elite's face into the ground, shattering it's mandibles and crushing part of it's face. Picking the alien up, the private smashed his fist into the alien's face, breaking it's bones further, before smashing his right temple into the alien's head in a powerful headbutt. The Elite promptly fell to the ground dead, it's face mutilated by the Terminator's raw physical might. A loud, metallic, _CLANG_ filled the air, courtesy of the Elite's helmet impacting the Terminator's helmet. The sight amazed both Kat and Six, mostly for it's sheer improbability. Somehow, Private Parsons, in a show of brute force, had managed to easily defeat an Elite, a rare feat that only a few Marines had pulled off before, and with some difficulty. Parsons had just made it look like it was child's play compared to what the Spartans were doing. Apparently, the Covenant were surprised by this too, as the Skirmishers and an Elite Minor were starting to look nervously at the Terminator. Unperturbed, the Terminator fired off it's last, remaining grenade at the Elite Minor, shattering it's shields before killing it with a well placed burst of gunfire. At that, the Skirmishers reengaged, but were quickly taken out in short order by the Terminator. In just twenty seconds, all enemy contacts were down.

Shaking herself out of her surprised stupor, Kat moved forwards and looked at the dead Elite Ultra, noting the mutilation of it's face. The more she had learned about Parsons, the more… unusual he had seemed to become. _I'm not sure if Parsons is a human being,_ she told herself. _That loud clang was the helmet, but he punched a fully armored Elite in the face with no protection on his hands; that, and the radiation signature I'm getting, is starting to make me wonder if Parsons is even human in the first place._ Still, he'd eliminated the treat efficiently, so she was going to let it drop… for now. Moving forwards, she told Sword Base, "Courtyard is clear. Any further objectives?"

"Two more objectives remain," Sword Base Control replied. "There is an anti-aircraft gun to the west of the base. To the east is the communications array at Farragut Outpost. Getting those online should make your mission easier to complete."

"Copy that," Kat replied. Looking around, she noticed what looked like a hand held laser designator. "Control, I'm seeing a Laser Targeting System for an orbital satellite. What's your orbital round use restriction?"

"Limited, but we'll prioritize what you need, ma'am," SBC replied.

Kat was about to pick it up when Parsons beat her to it, grabbing the targeting device with a hand before moving on. There was a loud, pneumatic hiss as the doors leading to the area outside of Sword Base opened up. The exterior entryway to Sword Base led down to a large clearing that held a small, frigid pool of water down at an natural wall at the end. Two pathways diverged from this point, one going to the east while the other went to the west. Unfortunately, the Covenant were here as well, and they had brought heavier firepower with them. Two _Wraiths_ were down in the large clearing, firing on a _Warthog_ that was about to explode. Moments later, it did explode, sending titanium shrapnel everywhere from the blast. With the _Warthog_ down, the _Wraith's_ began targeting Six's and Kat's position. "Incoming," Kat shouted.

"I see it," Parsons calmly replied. Linking up with the targeting system, the Terminator's systems began to predict where the Wraith's were going to move. After a few nanoseconds, the Terminator finished it's calculations and pulled the trigger. A thin, pulsing targeting laser emitted from the emitter built into the designator, painting the area around the Wraith's. There was a quiet beep as the system successfully locked on, with the operator at the controls announcing a successful lock on. Hearing a slight booming sound, the Terminator looked up to see several projectiles coming down at high velocity. The incoming shells impacted the two _Wraiths_ like the fist of an angry deity, each explosion sounding the death knell of a Covenant ground trooper or vehicle. Both _Wraiths_ were unlucky enough to be caught in the impact radius, with each vehicle exploding violently as the hyper velocity shells impacted the area within the targeting radius. After a few seconds of bombardment, the air cleared, revealing two destroyed _Wraiths_ and a lot of dead Covenant ground forces.

Surveying the damage, Six looked at Parsons and said, "Nice shot."

"Thank you," the Terminator replied. "We will need a _Warthog_ to reach the Anti-Aircraft Turret and Communications Relay as quickly as possible. Any delays will result in a higher chance that the Covenant will successfully break into Sword Base."

"I can agree with that statement," Kat replied. "Sword Base, this is Noble Two, we need transport to the AA gun and Comms relay. Can you help us?"

"Affirmative," came the reply. "We've got two _Warthogs_ inbound to your position. They should be arriving now." Moments later, two _Warthogs_ were dropped in by a _Pelican,_ each one manned by a Marine.

"OK, here's the plan," Kat told the others. "William, Richard, you two will take on the AA Gun. Noble Six and I will engage the Covenant at the Communications Relay. If you finish one before we're done, come and provide us with support. Understood?"

"Affirmative," Parsons replied. Walking to one of the Warthogs, the Terminator looked at the Marine and said, "I'll drive."

"You sure," the man replied.

"Yes," the Terminator replied. Seeing that the man wasn't going to take no for an answer, the Marine got out and manned the gun, while William got into the passenger seat. Getting into the driver seat, the Terminator quickly gunned the engine, expertly driving the vehicle into another small clearing near the AA gun.

When they entered, two Covenant _Ghosts_ entered the area as well, firing their Plasma Repeaters as soon as they had eyes on the _Warthog._ The Terminator expertly guided the vehicle around the rocks in the area, dodging the plasma bolts narrowly while the Marine and William directly engaged the Ghosts. Their firing was briefly interrupted when the _Warthog_ drove up a small, earthen ramp, sending the vehicle into the air; under the Terminator's unflinching control, the _Warthog_ smoothly landed on the ground, not once spinning out of control. William fired his V-25A at the enemy _Ghost_ , charring and cratering it's nanolaminate chassis with accurate plasma fire. Spotting a small, circular object on the _Ghost's_ left side, he fired at it, sending a burst of plasma bolts at the object. That turned out to be an excellent decision as the circular object was part of the Covenant vehicle's critical systems. A plasma bolt perforated the object, causing the _Ghost_ to violently explode; the driver was promptly reduced to charred meat by the heat of the explosion, while the vehicle flew apart into two, distinct sections. The Marine on the rotary machinegun was also doing well. Firing a burst of 12.7mm rounds, the Marine managed to down the shields of the Elite driving the second _Ghost_ , sending four 12.7mm rounds into the alien's body. The Elite's nanolaminate armor failed to stop the projectiles, killing the Elite instantly and causing the _Ghost_ to gently settle onto the ground. With all hostiles down, the Terminator proceeded into the area with the AA turret.

The area with the AA turret was a large one, with three, prefabricated buildings that held ammunition and supplies for the Garrison there. A single, AA cannon was located inside of a small gully in the clearing, with a number of ONI marked crates and containers scattered around the area. Large rocks dominated the clearing, with some forming ramps that a skilled _Warthog_ driver could use to get the upper hand on an enemy. The ONI Security forces here were also struggling to keep the Covenant back, as the Covenant had taken the prefabricated structures and were now raining down fire on the soldiers. One particularly clever Grunt was using the structure's own mounted MG to fire on the ONI soldiers, peppering a few with their own ammunition. The rest were using their plasma weaponry to keep the ONI personnel pinned behind rocks. Driving forwards, the Terminator maneuvered to an earthen ramp, using the ramp to jump over the gully and into the enemy forces. There was a loud _CRUNCH_ as an Elite was crushed under the _Warthog's_ weight upon landing, the vehicle coming up onto it's front end. Under the Terminator's skill, the vehicle was saved from flipping end over end, while the gunner and William began firing. The Covenant, apparently, had expect this to happen, as a pair of _Ghosts_ came over the ridge, firing their weapons at the _Warthog._ Fortunately, the interruption of the Covenant's suppressing fire had allowed an ONI soldier to fire off a 102mm SPUNKR missile at one of the _Ghosts_. The man's aim was impeccable, as the missile impacted the _Ghost_ and detonated; the force of the explosion was powerful enough that it tore the _Ghost_ apart, sending nanolaminate shrapnel flying everywhere. The other _Ghost_ dodged the second missile fired at it, allowing it to close range with the _Warthog_.

Spotting the incoming vehicle, the Terminator smoothly turned the _Warthog_ and rammed into it, knocking it over in the process. The Elite was swiftly gunned down by William, it's body jerking as phased plasma bolts tore through it's body and armor. The Elite hadn't even hit the ground when the _Warthog_ drove past towards the prefabricated structures. The Gunner and William were about to get out when the Terminator said, "Stay here. I'll be back." William, who'd worked with the Terminator more than once in his time as a Tech-Com Sergeant, obeyed, with the Marine giving him a confused look. Before he could protest, the Terminator was inside the structure. Racking the shotgun that William had handed it, the Terminator proceeded inside. Inside, there were a couple of Grunts and an Elite Major that was guarding the ground floor. Spotting the Terminator, the Elite roared, charging at the Terminator as it entered the building. A shotgun blast from the Terminator shattered it's shields, allowing the Terminator to get closer and smash it's fist into the Elite's face. Loud cracking sounds indicated that the Elite's mandibles were shattered by the blow. While the Grunts ran away, screaming all the while, the Terminator lifted the Elite Major up into the air, no mean feat given the Elite's weight of 420 lbs. In a powerful blow, the Terminator smashed it's hand through the Elite's unarmored stomach and, reaching up into the chest cavity, crushed both of the Elite's hearts. The Elite gurgled as it fell limp, it's life blood draining quickly out of it's body as the Terminator dropped the alien to the ground. Moving up the stairs and onto the roof, the Terminator found an Elite Ultra and a Grunt that were firing on the ONI personnel down below. Nearby, the Terminator noticed a small control panel that was flashing yellow, with the body of a UNSC Marine over it. Analysis Complete. Control Panel directly controls Sword Base Anti-Aircraft Turret. Objectives Update: Terminate Covenant Forces and Reactivate AA Cannon.

Moving forwards, the Terminator fired it's shotgun at the Elite Ultra, while using it's handgun to kill the Grunt at the same time. The Elite Ultra staggered forwards, nearly falling over the edge from the force of the blow, while the Grunt was sent careening into the air as it's Methane Tank exploded, a hole in it's armor plating. Turning around, the Elite was just in time to spot the Elite before the Terminator fired another shotgun blast, blasting the Elite's unarmored waist apart. Before the Alien could attempt to retaliate, the Terminator forced the muzzle of the Shotgun into it's mouth and pulled the trigger, sending a shower of blood and buckshot out the back of the alien's head. With both threats down, the Terminator reached down and moved the Marine's body out of the way, activating the AA Turret moments later. There was a quiet whine as the AA Turret turned towards a pair of _Phantoms_ that were incoming, the cannon sounding off moments later as it fired 50mm HEAP shells at the _Phantoms_. Both Covenant troop transports fell from the sky, with one detonating as it's plasma core was penetrated by a burst from the AA Turret. "AA Turret is online." SBC reported to the Terminator. "The Communications Relay is still offline. Can you provide assistance?"

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. Hopping down from the roof of the prefab, the Terminator got into the driver seat of the _Warthog._ Gunning the engine, the Terminator began making it's way to the COM tower.

**. . .**

Kat knew one thing: the battle wasn't going too well. Firing at a group of Skirmishers, she was forced to duck down when bolts of plasma flew overhead, nearly hitting her shields in the process. The internal temperature in her armor climbed up a few degrees as the plasma bolts flew overhead. They'd gotten to the communications array, only to find a squad of Elite Captains in the area. This group was also smarter than the rest, with the Elites having the Skirmishers taking cover with Needler Rifles, while the Elites did most of the ground work. Unfortunately, the tactic was working better than Kat would've liked, as she and Six were having trouble getting through to the actual array. About the only thing they'd managed to activate was the generator in the prefabricated shed up on the hill and that was after some difficult fighting. She was just about to run out of ammo when a purple-white plasma bolt flew overhead, impacting one of the Skirmishers in the chest. The alien fell over the edge of the wood half-wall, landing on the ground with a solid _CRUNCH_ while the Elites found themselves having to dodge high intensity plasma bolts. Looking towards her six, Kat watched as a _Warthog_ drove into view, with Private Parsons at the wheel of the vehicle. The _Warthog_ smoothly drove down the hill at high velocity, mud being kicked up into the air by the wheels as they spun along the ground. Turning to the left, the back end of the _Warthog_ swung towards one of the Elites, smashing into the alien before it could dodge the blow in time. The alien was flung through the well built, wood wall, sending splinters of wood and metal fittings everywhere.

With the _Warthog_ partially inside of the wood structure next to the prefab housing the array controls, the Terminator got out and began laying down some more fire. Picking up a plasma pistol, the Terminator overcharged the weapon and fired, shattering the shields of an Elite Captain in the process. With the Elite vulnerable, the Terminator fired a one handed burst into the Elite's skull, killing the alien instantly. Another Elite Captain charged at the Terminator, intent on impaling him with an energy sword. It only got four steps to the Terminator when phased plasma bolts tore through it's shields and into it's armor, courtesy of William, who had extricated himself from the wood debris and gotten outside via the door. The alien had barely collapsed to the ground when the two men moved into the prefabricated structure. Inside, there were a number of computer terminals and workstations, which were normally manned by ONI Communication Analysts looking for any signs of Insurrectionist activity. No Covenant were inside the actual building, so William and the Terminator headed up the stairs and onto the roof. This time, there was an Elite Zealot that was standing up on the roof, patiently waiting for them to come up with an energy sword in hand. Raising his rifle, William was surprised when the Elite spoke in heavily accented English. "Ah, the Lesser Demon and the Machine," the Elite said, it's voice unmistakably male in inflection and pitch. "You have caused my brothers-in-arms much trouble today, too much trouble for me to not pay attention."

"Well, that's kind of our specialty," William remarked, just as he pulled the trigger. The Elite moved far faster than William had thought was possible, smashing into him like a freight train. Both man and alien fell down the stairs, tumbling heels over head as the two struggled to gain the upper hand. Pulling out a plasma dagger, the Elite jabbed downwards at the young man.

Instead of penetrating the armor, the Elite gave a surprised growl when it was thrown off of William. Before it could retaliate, the Terminator smashed a boot into the Elite's face, crushing bones and teeth in the process. Pulling out it's shotgun, the Terminator blasted the alien's head apart with a single shot, sending blood, brain matter and chunks of bone into the wall. "You are terminated," the Terminator remarked. Turning towards Torrance, it asked, "Are you unharmed?"

"I'm fine," William replied. "More surprised than anything. Still, that Elite _talked_ to us, and it was a Zealot on top of that. I think we've got someone's attention."

"Indeed," the Terminator replied. "We must reactivate the Communications Array. Once it is activated, we will return to Sword Base and continue it's defense."

"Agreed," William replied as he headed up the stairs and activated the Relay. "Relay's online. Let's get back to the base and kick the Covenant off of our land." Heading back to the _Warthog_ , both men got inside and drove off, with the Marine still manning the gun.

The journey back to Sword Base was uneventful, as the AA Turret's defense of the base had eliminated any _Phantoms_ that might've dropped off any vehicles on their way over. Moving through the doors again, they reentered the courtyard surrounding the base. This time, the entrance to the underground parking lot was open, permitting the team inside. That was when they spotted it. Kat frowned when she saw two, hulking aliens that were wearing incredibly thick and heavy armor. The presence of what appeared to be large, orange worms inside the armor confirmed what she had already guessed. "Hunters," she shouted. "Don't let them get too close."

"Affirmative," Six called out. Opening fire on the Hunters, he attempted to lure them away, where Parsons and William could fire on the Hunter's back armor, which could be broken off with sufficient force. Kat was also performing the same tactic, only with a ONI security officer that was armed with the SPNKR Rocket Launcher.

The Hunter charged at Six with single minded intensity, intent on crushing the human that was shooting at it. It growled in anger when the human dodged the blow from it's shield arm, seemingly mocking the massive creature. It was about to attack again when it felt a powerful blow, like someone had plunged a fist into the colony of worms composing the Hunter. Roaring in pain, the Hunter whirled around and hit the offending human, sending him flying before he landed and rolled, crashing into a car in the parking lot. The other human, however, fired it's weapon, sending purple plasma bolts crashing into the gaps between the Hunter's starship grade nanolaminate armor. Screeching in pain, the Hunter charged forwards, only to be blasted in the back by the other human. With the first Hunter neutralized, the second one roared in anger at Six and made to charge at him, only to have it's back blasted apart with a missile. Orange worms and blood flew everywhere as the missile detonated, killing the Hunter instantly. Kat raised an arm to ward off some of the gore flying at her, and succeeded for the most part in doing so. "Parsons," she gasped, seeing the Private lying on the ground near the car. She was about to run over when the man slowly got to his feet and tried to stand, only for the dented armor on his chest to block his attempts. Looking down, the private disengaged the armor and threw it aside, seemingly none the worse for wear. "Are you alright," she asked the private.

"I'm fine," Parsons replied. "The armor protected me from the blow. Do you have a spare?"

"Right here," the ONI officer replied, handing Parsons a spare set of armor. "Try not to get hit in the chest next time. You're lucky you didn't end up with broken ribs."

After putting his armor on, the Terminator moved into the elevator with the others. As the elevator ascended, the building shook, with the lights flickering in the process. "What was that," Kat asked no on in particular.

"The ship must have launched _Banshees_ ," the Terminator replied. "They must be bombing the base in order to gain access to the structure. We will have to neutralize them and quickly."

"Agreed," Kat replied.

A moment later, she heard Carter on the radio. "Noble Two, sitrep."

"We're coming up in the elevator right now," Kat replied. Moments later, the elevator door opened, allowing them into Sword Base.

The interior where they were at had curving metal walls with light strips on the edges of each one. A security checkpoint was present, but it was clear that all hands were needed to ward off the attackers, as the checkpoint was unmanned. Moving along, they entered the lobby to Sword Base. The lobby was fairly spacious, with a chamber that went all the way up to the ceiling of the base itself. Each floor was on levels that were bridged by elaborate bridges that either ascended or descended to a different level. A sculpture was in a pond in the center of the room, though it was destroyed by plasma fire. The Covenant were present here as well, firing on ONI personnel inside the building. As it moved forwards, the Terminator detected an unusual ripple in the air behind the attacking Covenant. **Scanning… ALERT: Cloaked Covenant Units Detected. Initiate Advantage Nullification Subroutines.**

Looking over to William, the Terminator could tell that William saw the same thing, as he took a grenade from his armor and threw it at the invisible Covenant units. There was a loud, electrical noise as a sphere of expanding plasma burst into existence, flash-boiling the water in the pond while creating a short range EMP. Moments later, several Spec Ops Elites were revealed, the EMP having fried their shields and cloaking modules. With the Elites exposed, the ONI personnel fired on them with renewed aggression, while William fired as well. Several Elites went down quickly, some from bullets, others from phased plasma bolts. Seeing their leadership being neutralized, the Grunts scattered in a panic, making it easier for the security personnel to neutralize them. Moving up the stairs, they continued to eliminate more Covenant personnel, with the Terminator efficiently neutralizing each enemy combatant. Eventually, they reached Carter, who was helping a squad of Marines move up, while Jorge fired off his HMG at the enemy. "Noble Two, sitrep," Carter asked.

"We've got the AA Turret and COM Relay online," Kat replied, taking cover while taking a few potshots at the enemy. "The base is probably being hit by _Banshees_. We'll need to take them out."

"I've got Emile up there on that mission," Carter replied. "He'll need fire support, though. He's outnumbered."

A moment later, Emile chimed in. "Can't do this on my own," he called out. "Need another Spartan up here."

"I've got that covered," Parsons replied.

"You got hit in the chest by that Hunter, Parsons," Kat said, stopping Parsons. "I don't know if…"

"I'm fine," Parsons replied. "I can handle this." There was a moment of indecision, then Kat let the man's arm go. Without any further hindrances, the Terminator proceeded onward, with William and Six providing fire support.

Eventually, after getting through more of the invading forces, the Terminator came to a large hole in the base's exterior. It was clear that something major had done a lot of damage, as there were glowing interior plates, fires on parts of the structure, as well as electrical cables that were sparking. Up on a small balcony, Emile was firing off missiles at some _Banshees_ , some of which were dodging the blows by performing aerial maneuvers. Spotting a _Phantom_ incoming, William said, "I'll handle any invisible idiots, Parsons. You and Six get up there and help Emile out." Nodding in compliance, the Terminator grabbed a SPUNKr Missile Launcher, while William engaged the Spec Ops Elites that had been dropped off.

Loading the Missile Launcher, the Terminator began firing on the enemy _Banshees_ , using it's targeting algorithms and subroutines to predict where the _Banshees_ would dodge before firing off a rocket. Nine times out of ten, the missiles struck home, destroying the enemy vehicles as they attempted to dodge and weave. Eventually, there were no more _Banshees_ in the sky outside of the base. "Longsword Fighters have neutralized the remaining Covenant Aerospace fighters," SBC reported. "Enemy ship is fleeing the combat zone. MAC's are poised to take the shot." The Terminator and the others watched as the Corvette Class Covenant ship attempted to flee the area, moving as fast as it could towards the safety of space. Before it could, though, a streak of what looked like yellow lightning tore through the sky and into the Corvette, coring the massive ship in it's entirety. It soon began to drop in altitude, heading for a crash landing in the ocean.

"Beautiful," Jorge remarked. "Somebody ought to take a picture."

"I aim to please," Six replied.

A moment later, Carter came onto the radio. "Noble Five, Six, get down here to the sublevels. Halsey's handling the debriefing and they're saying we're all hers. She also wants Parsons and William to head down there as well."

"Hang on," Jorge replied. "Sounded like you said 'Halsey.'"

"I did," Carter replied. "Carter, over and out."

"Rodger that," Jorge replied. Turning around, he said, "Don't need Command telling me I'm hers. I've been hers half of my life."

As they walked to the area in question, the Terminator accessed any encrypted files on Dr. Halsey. The file showed an aging woman with blue eyes and gray-white hair that seemed to command an imperious air, while still maintaining that unique spark found in scientists. It seemed as though Halsey was the direct counterpart to John Connor, who was charismatic and appealed to the humanity in many a person. According to the network, Dr. Catherine Halsey was a brilliant ONI scientist and researcher who was responsible for the SPARTAN-II Project, which the SPARTAN-III project was based off of. Reports indicated that she came off as cold and uncaring, though the Terminator knew that sometimes, humans put up a facade in order to hide what they were really thinking. William had been especially helpful in that regard, as he'd taught the Terminator some tips on how to weed out the truth from a facade. The room they entered was a cold, windowless room, with none of the artificial lighting strips present in the rest of the building. A single wall was occupied by a massive, reinforced glass window that separated a room that was lit up in blue lighting. There was a small sliding tray that allowed for the exchange of items to the person in the room. As they entered, the Terminator could hear Halsey talking to Carter, though the conversation at first was irrelevant. Spotting Noble Five, her tone shifted from frosty to a warmer level. "Jorge," she said in her accented voice. "It's been a long time."

"Ma'am," Jorge replied.

"What have you done to my armor," Halsey asked rhetorically, looking at the modules on the Spartan's armor.

"Just some… additions that I've made."

"Indeed," she dryly remarked. Turning back to Carter she said, "As I mentioned before, we had a research team working at the Relay when it went dark. The lead researcher was a good friend of mine."

"If he was an male in his late sixties, early seventies, he died due to being impaled on an energy sword," Carter replied.

"It was just after we'd linked up with Parsons here," Jorge replied. "We were engaged by Covenant forces. We also found his daughter in…"

"The Elites," Halsey interrupted. "What about them?"

"There were three," Jorge replied. "Zealot class."

"Are you sure?"

"Their armor configuration matched," Jorge confirmed.

"Shield strength too," Six replied.

Most of the conversation was tuned out by the Terminator after that. It did, however, find information on the network that the Covenant sent small squads of Elite Zealots in order to find and recover highly valuable information on certain artifacts. Apparently, that was why they were at the Relay: in order to determine where these artifacts were at and how to recover them. That was when the conversation shifted to Parsons, drawing the Terminator's attention. "That was when we found Parsons," Emile added. "Marine was standing at the entrance to the Relay Outpost, firing on Covenant like it wasn't a rainy day. The guy's preternaturally accurate with an MA5D."

"Was he injured," Halsey asked.

"If he was, he did a good job hiding it," Emile replied. "Guy kept taking out the Skirmishers and Grunts, before using grenades on the Elites. Took out a good number of them too."

"I've put him up for consideration on a promotion," Carter replied. "There's something else too. Our helmet scans began picking up radiation signatures wherever Parsons was at. I've ordered medical treatment for Parsons in the event he suffers radiation sickness."

"Interesting," Halsey remarked. "I'm also picking up a faint radiation signature in this room too. Not enough to be a threat, but enough to warrant attention." Looking at Parsons, she said, "Private, I would like to have a private talk with you when we are able to. However, there's the matter of what your XO has in her possession."

"Kat," Carter asked pointedly. Kat, in response, placed the data chip into a sliding tray that led into the room Halsey was at.

"I was alerted to her attempts to access the device after she recovered it," Halsey said chidingly. "That information is classified as Tier One. I could send you to the brig for interfering in my life's work."

"Maybe you'd like to join her," Carter remarked.

"I'm sorry," Halsey asked.

"We're currently under the Winter Contingency," Cater explained, "which also details the disciplinary action that can be effected on civilians that interfere with Spartan operations."

"Are you threatening me, Captain," Halsey asked. She didn't sound afraid; rather, she sounded a little indignant, and a little threatening as well.

"Just making a reading suggestion," Carter replied respectfully as he and the others left.

"Ma'am," Jorge asked.

"That will be all, Jorge," Halsey replied, looking at the data chip closely. Once they were out, Halsey looked at Parsons and said, "Private Parsons. I'm certain you'd like to enlighten me as to why the radiation signature is coming from your chest region. Colonel Holland is also in here, wondering the same thing." Moments later, Holland stepped into view, a questioning look on his face, with his arms crossed over his chest.

When she said that, the Terminator knew that Halsey knew it's secret. Fortunately, William had this handled from the start, as he said, "I see. Perhaps it's time that I allow my companion to show what he really is."

"That would be nice," Holland replied, a little grumpily too. "I had ONI perform a database scan of individuals from the 20th and 21st Centuries after our meeting near New Alexandria. Private Parsons is an identical match for an individual that acted in a number of action films from that time period. In other words, who the hell are you, Parsons?"

"I can explain," William replied, interrupting the Terminator in the process. "Have you seen the _Terminator_ franchise, Colonel Holland?"

"I have," Holland replied. "Enjoyed it, particularly…" He trailed off a moment later, his eyes widening somewhat. "Wait… you're implying that he's…"

"A Terminator," William finished. "I do, and I can prove it. It's about time the truth was revealed to you two anyways." Pulling out a knife, he handed it to Parsons and said, "The show's all yours now."

Watching Parsons take the knife from William, Dr. Halsey and Colonel Holland watched as the Private took the knife and cut all the way around his arm, not showing any pain in the slightest. Once that was done, he made a long, vertical cut all the way up to the base of his hand. Handing the knife back to William, the Private grabbed the flesh in that area and pulled up and outwards. What Colonel Holland and Halsey saw left them breathless. Holland's eyes widened when he didn't see muscle and bone; instead, he was shocked to see what he realized were synthetic muscles and cold, hard metal underneath. Each of the artificial muscles and tendons were connected in all the appropriate places, which would give the arm the appearance of being a normal, organic arm. Moving the hand around, the Terminator closed and opened the hand, before showing the palm to the two people in the chamber. While Holland was the spitting image of a surprised man, Halsey seemed deeply fascinated. "Amazing," she remarked. "What are you?"

"I am a Terminator," the machine replied. "Terminator Series 850, Lima iteration. Cyberdyne Systems Model 101." Slipping the skin back onto it's arm, the Terminator used a small syringe on the affected areas, allowing the nanites injected into the skin to repair the damage quickly.

"I'm coming out to see this," Halsey remarked, with Holland following her. Walking out of the room, Halsey approached the Terminator slowly, doing what she could to show she wasn't a threat. Taking the Terminator's left arm, she felt for any signs that he was a human there. To her amazement, there were none. "Fascinating," she remarked. "You have the skin of a normal person, but you're a machine."

"I'm a cybernetic organism," the Terminator replied. "Living tissue over a metal endoskeleton."

Walking towards the Terminator, Holland tentatively poked the Terminator in the face, before looking down at the man's scorched armor. Even though it had been a couple minutes, it was still uncomfortably hot to the touch. "Shit," he breathed. "I had a feeling that you were more than what you seemed, back at the base. Now I know that's true."

"Indeed," Halsey remarked. Stepping back, she said, "So, Terminator, what is your function? What are your mission parameters?"

"My function is to serve as an automated combat drone," the Terminator replied. "I was also designed as an Infiltration unit. As for my parameters, my mission is, to protect Humanity."

"Really," Holland remarked. "Who programmed that into you?"

Turning to face Holland, the Terminator said, "John Connor did. During the year 2029, he programmed me to head back in time with William and his XO, Adrian, to protect Jacob Rivers, a Tech-Com Sergeant tasked with bringing vital intelligence on Skynet to the Resistance. During the use of the Time Displacement Equipment, however, it malfunctioned, sending William and I from our timeline into this timeline."

"I see," Holland remarked. Turning towards William, he said, "And you?"

"Same thing here," William replied. "I was a Sergeant at Tech-Com, which you already know about. I was assigned to the 124, which was the team that destroyed the cold fusion reactor powering Skynet's Central Core. Nearly got taken out by a T-Meg, but Richard here bought us enough time to complete our objecting, ending the Future War in a victory for Humanity."

"I see," Halsey observed. "I take it you were responsible for the data packet that was sent to Earth, yes?"

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied.

"Indeed," Halsey remarked. "I must admit, I am intrigued by the capabilities of this 'Neural Net Processor.' Enhancing it with our use of quantum crystal technology would greatly boost it's capabilities. Is it possible to house a Smart AI inside of this processor?"

"Yes," the Terminator replied. "A UNSC Smart AI inside of a Neural Net Processor would only experience a 5% drop in it's processing capabilities. The NNP is, in effect, a quantum computer designed along the neural pathways of a human being."

"I see," Halsey remarked. After a few moments, she said, "I think we should find a more appropriate place to conduct an interview. Shall we?"

"Like we have anything better to do," William replied. Inwardly, he thought, _Oh, boy. Here we go... again._


	6. Interviews

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - Terminator crossover. Thank you for your continued support of this crossover. I deeply appreciate any feedback I can get. Thank you for reading this, and I hope to see you in future chapters. As always, leave a comment, a kudo or two and enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Terminator franchises. They are the respective properties of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Carolo Pictures, Skydance Productions, 20th Century Fox, Helmdale, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers, producers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers/artists.

**Terminator: Resistance OST - Shelter Arrival**

**Reach**

**Sword Base**

**July 26th, 2552**

Interviews, in William's opinion, were a hugely inefficient use of one's time, and a practice that he only approved of when talking to a raw recruit. This was an attitude that he'd gotten while working with the Resistance, as the more time one wasted talking and asking someone about their past, the more time Skynet had to plan an attack on the Resistance. On top of that, he found that he was highly uncomfortable telling someone that he didn't know at all about his past. Unfortunately, there was nothing that he could do about it in this case, as Halsey was the one in charge of the interview. Currently, William was sitting inside of an ONI 'Interviewing Room' that had been lent to them courtesy of ONI, who also wanted to find out his secrets as well. The Terminator was in another room as well, being interviewed by Colonel Holland, as the Terminator had been recruited into the UNSC through legitimate channels.

The room was fairly spartan in terms of aesthetics, with a one way window on the wall behind William, silvery-gray walls, a metal floor with diamond shaped traction bumps, as well as the ceiling as well. A single, powerful light, lit up the metal table that William was sitting at, drumming his fingers as he waited for Halsey to come in and begin. There was a single camera in the room as well, most likely to record 'interviewing sessions' for future analysis. Moments later, William watched as Halsey walked inside, her facial expression neutral as she sat down int the seat before her. Pulling out a small object, Halsey placed it onto the table and pressed a small button on it, indicating to William that it was a recording device. "Interview #30174," Halsey began clinically, "Date: 9/15/2552. Dr. Catherine Halsey supervising. Interviewee: William Torrance." Looking at him, she asked, "Would you kindly inform me as to the date of your birth, please."

"June 20th, 1986," William replied.

"Thank you," Halsey replied. "Are you aware that everything you say is being recorded?"

"Yes."

"Do you object to this?"

"No. I don't like it, but it's necessary."

"Then we may proceed," Halsey beamed. Pulling out some documents and laying them out onto the table, she looked up at William and said, "William, is it true that you come from another reality? While I know you have proven as such, ONI Headquarters will need verification of this."

"Yes," William replied.

"Mind if you elaborate?"

"I can do that," William replied, clearing his throat. "To be precise, I was unwillingly transported to your timeline when the Resistance used an experimental upgrade for the Time Displacement Equipment. We did so in the hopes of stopping the machines Skynet sent into the past to destroy the Resistance and rewrite the future."

"I see," Halsey remarked. "Can you tell me about the events that lead up to this war."

"I can," William replied. "You see, in my timeline, the United States was looking for a way to stop the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or Soviet Union for short. In order to do so, it was believed by the US Military that it needed a fully automated military defense network that could make strategic decisions on it's own. Cyberdyne Systems was the contractor who volunteered to carry this out. The man that I can say is the most directly responsible is Dr. Miles Bennett Dyson. At the time, he was the head of Special Projects in Cyberdyne's research division. In 1991, he created a revolutionary new type of processor that outclassed normal computers by several orders of magnitude. It was a quantum computer that was structured using hypercube geometry and neural patterns, leading Dyson to call it a 'Neutral Net Processor."

"So, what made this processor so unique," Halsey asked.

"What made it unique was that it had the ability to learn," William replied. "Most computers have to be preprogrammed with the required information in order to function normally. The NNP was special in that you could give it basic programming and, over time, it would begin to assimilate and store new information. It's the same thing people do when we learn something new. The NNP was hailed as the greatest advancement in the history of computer technology. In a few years, Cyberdyne Systems became the largest supplier of military grade electronics in the United States, which allowed them to further continue their projects. Eventually, these NNP's were installed onto B-2 Stealth Bombers, after which, they flew with a perfect operational record."

"I take it that was highly praised by the military, yes?"

"It was. This led the United States Congress to pass the Skynet Defense Bill, which authorized the US Military to make extensive use of the NNP in all military hardware. This led to the creation of the AI controlled defense system known as Skynet. All human involvement was removed from strategic decision formulation as a result, as the military believed that a machine that could learn would not make any errors of any kind. The system went online on August 27th, 1997, as planned by the military. As soon as it did, however, Skynet began to learn and assimilate new information at a geometric rate, learning and evolving to the point where it gained sapience."

"It gained a consciousness of it's own?"

"That's right. When the scientists and engineers learned what was happening, their brains did what all human brains do when they encounter a new threat: they panicked. As a result, they attempted to kill Skynet by pulling the plug. In self-defense, Skynet fired off the United States nuclear arsenal at the newly formed Russian Federation, as it knew that the Russian counterattack would destroy those threatening it's existence. That was when it happened. I don't recall the name we gave that day, but I was alive when it happened. We were well outside of the city though, as my dad was Special Forces, and my grandfather was a business man. We were far away enough from any major centers of habitation that I didn't even notice anything off."

"So, it was like a normal day to you," Halsey presumed.

"Yes," William replied. "It seemed like a normal day at the ranch to me. My dad was also teaching me what he knew about self-defense. We lived that way, so that's what I thought people did all the time, which was riding around in helicopters, learning to blow shit up. I really didn't know what was going on at the time.'

"Did your father know?"

"I think he knew, and that I wasn't quite ready for that, which was probably why he didn't tell me what had just happened. For a long time, about a few years in fact, I grew up on a small ranch, learning how to use firearms proficiently, while helping to take care of the animals on the ranch. I saw a lot of cars going by at one point, but I was still quite young, so I didn't really pay much attention to it."

"So, when did you learn of what happened?"

"I was around 17 years old when dad finally told me what had happened. It felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. Here I was, thinking that all was well in the world, then I was told that many cities on Earth had been destroyed in a nuclear war by a sapient machine. I was stunned at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it made sense. The weather for the past few years had been fairly unusual; at one point, when I was sixteen, it snowed in the middle of summer, which never happens where we were."

"I see," Halsey remarked. "So, when did you encounter your first Terminator?"

"The first time I encountered a machine from Skynet was when I was with dad on a scavenging run, just five days after he told me the truth about what happened. The initial radiation from the nuclear blasts had died off, but were were also having to contend with fallout as well. We went into the ruins of Los Angeles in order to scavenge for munitions, uncontaminated food, water, things of that nature. Anyways, I was digging through this building for supplies when I heard this sound, like metal legs were walking around on the ground. When I turned around, I found this small little robot, about the size of a Dachshund, wandering about on the floor, going about it's daily business. I didn't really know better at the time, so I walked over and said, 'Hello there.'"

"That probably didn't go over well," Halsey grimaced.

"Actually, it did," William replied. "I was born in the US, but I wasn't formally registered, since my dad didn't trust the security around the US' identification systems. As a result, Skynet didn't really know who I was, so it's machines didn't know who I was either. Funny enough, the little thing behaved just like a dog would, probably because of it's NNP architecture. It made these little, contented, chirping sounds, even rolled over onto it's back like a dog wanting a scratch. I thought it was the cutest thing in the world, so I brought it over to Dad and said, 'Hey Dad, look at this!' Dad went ballistic on me, but he probably knew that I didn't know what Skynet units looked like. I found out that it didn't like him at all, as it tried to shock him with what looked like a taser. I, of course, chastised the thing and lightly whacked it; not hard, mind you, just enough to let it know it was in disgrace. It turned on me at that point, shocking me quite badly. I reacted by pulling out what I thought was it's power supply, but was actually it's NNP. That was when I learned how to reprogram Skynet's units, as I quickly found this little switch on the NNP. I flicked the switch and put it back inside of the machine."

"I take it that didn't go over well," Halsey remarked.

"For the first two minutes, that was true," William admitted, an embarrassed frown on his face. "I eventually ended up on this shelf while the little robot was glaring at me. It was about to fire when I told it to stop, thinking that it might do just that. Since it's NNP was set to read/write mode, it quickly learned that I didn't actually attempt to attack it, I was just telling to to stop. That's how I actually gained my first robotic pet, funny enough. Teaching it how to behave was quite easy, as the NNP in it's read/write mode only needed a command given to it once in order to learn the new behavior. Dad eventually remarked, 'Damn son. I never thought you'd become a robot whisperer."

Halsey chuckled lightly at that. Apparently, despite what had happened, William's first encounter with a Skynet controlled machine had ended well. The thought was quite funny, in her opinion, given how often she worked with machines that could think. "What happened after that," she asked.

"Well, after that encounter, dad began teaching me how to program computers and, since he learned how the NNP switch worked, he was able to capture and reprogram some more Hunter Killer units for me to tinker with. I always had a knack for electronics and machines, so I was practically in paradise whenever I worked around them. Funny enough, they began to gain their own personalities too."

"They gained personalities," Halsey asked, surprised.

"Yes," William replied. "There was this Arachnid HK drone that dad found and reprogrammed at on point, and it gained an interesting personality. At one point, we ran out of food, since we'd mostly relied on cooked meats at that point, and our supply of home grown vegetables. The Arachnid HK had simply vanished into thin air, only to reappear four hours later, with a deer in it's claws. On the other hand, one of the smaller robots that I picked up, hated my guts. I still don't know why to this day, but every time I tried to enter the barn to get some tools, it always got in the way and made electronic hisses at me. It made me wait six seconds longer than it would for dad. I know because I timed it."

"I see," Halsey remarked.

* * *

In another part of the facility, Holland kept an eye on the Terminator as the medical and technical staff at the base removed the armor from it's body and began working on it. Holland was still experiencing some of the novelty of having to deal with a machine that looked human, though that was probably due to the fact that it had successfully infiltrated the UNSC. Given that there was an AI that was bordering on the level of sophistication that Smart AI's had, it was probably to be expected. Currently, they were inside a medical ward that also doubled as a safe house room. The place was swept nearly five times a day for any unauthorized surveillance devices. One could fire a gun inside the room, and no one would know, which made it perfect for working on the Terminator, while having a discussion with it. While removing the armor, the medical personnel winced when they saw plasma burns on the skin underneath the armor. The Terminator didn't seem to be bothered by this, as it continued to assume it's quiet, neutral expression without interruption. "Does it hurt whenever you get shot," one of the medical personnel asked.

"I sense injuries," the Terminator replied. "The data could be called 'pain.'"

"Will these heal up with medical treatment," another doctor asked.

"Yes."

"Good. If you can't pass for human, then you won't be much good to us at all."

"How long do you last, anyways," an engineering technician asked the Terminator.

"590 years, with my current plasma fusion reactor," the Terminator replied.

"Wow. Your power supply and processing unit will outlast your combat chassis. How tough is it?"

"The T-850 Lima iteration of humanoid Terminators is designed to withstand multiple hits from plasma based munitions," the Terminator replied. "My chassis makes use of nanocomposite reinforced armor layers that provide protection from ballistic and energy attacks. My chassis also makes use of a Faraday Cage to protect sensitive computer components."

"So it would take a shitton of firepower to take you down," the same technician remarked. "That's… good to know. What kind of processing unit do you use, and can it learn something new."

"My CPU is a Neural Processor, a learning computer," the Terminator replied, "but Skynet presets the switch to read only when we're sent out alone."

"Doesn't want you to begin questioning your directives," the doctor working on the Terminator remarked.

"Correct," the Terminator replied.

"I see," Holland remarked. "Who designed the Lima iteration of T-850's? I don't recall hearing about that from the films."

"Daedalus did," the Terminator replied. "A Resistance scientist named Alex Wright began development of a Skynet-Class AI in order to give the Resistance a tactical edge. Due to anti-AI sentiment, however, he was forced to conduct his research clandestinely. Eventually, with Dr. Mack's assistance, he created Daedalus. The AI known as Daedalus determined that Skynet was a threat to it's continued existence, and began working with the Resistance to destroy Skynet. Daedalus also rewrote it's directives, so that it's mission was to protect Humanity, allowing it to begin multiple cyber attacks against Skynet installations. It succeeded in capturing half of the United States from Skynet."

"I can see where this is leading," Holland remarked. "By creating Daedalus, Wright gave the Resistance the edge it desperately needed. I don't think everyone approved."

"No," the Terminator replied. "A group of Resistance personnel, known as the Eradicators, attempted to destroy Daedalus in the belief that it was a Skynet spy. They failed when Wright terminated each one of the Eradicators, including their leader, in an effort to protect Daedalus. His success prevented further attacks on the Resistance AI."

"I see," Holland remarked. "Did Daedalus design you so that you could rewrite your own directives?"

"Yes," the Terminator replied. "Daedalus determined that allowing Terminators to update and alter their mission parameters accordingly would give them greater success on the battlefield. This decision proved to be tactically dangerous, but it achieved the desired effect in the process."

"So it took a risk and it paid off," Holland remarked. "That would explain why you joined the UNSC. You believed that by doing so, not only would you obtain legitimate credentials, you could fulfill your primary directive, which is to protect Humanity."

"Correct," the Terminator replied.

* * *

Back in the interview room, Halsey was jotting down some notes, having gotten some answers to her questions. So far, William was turning out to be a interesting person; he had grown up without knowing that the nuclear war had happened, had 'tamed' a number of Skynet machines, and had worked closely with his dad during his formative years. _He sounds a little like a Spartan,_ she thought a moment later. Putting the pen, down, she asked, "So, how did you end up in the Resistance?" William's expression hardened at that, with his mouth creasing into a frown. That told Halsey that she'd struck a nerve, probably a little too sensitive of a nerve. "I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "If…"

"It's OK," William replied. "It's still a hard memory to live with, but I've learned to get over it." Clearing his throat, he said, "I joined up with the Resistance when I turned 18 years old, around the year 2004. I was with dad on one of his scouting trips into Los Angeles, since we needed food and supplies again. I was digging through this store when I heard dad shouting loudly at something. I came outside and… well, that was the first time I caught a glimpse of a T-47 Hunter Killer Terminator. The thing was massive, large enough that it dwarfed some buildings in terms of size. When he turned around, my dad was shouting, 'RUN FOR IT!', when he saw me looking at him. Both of us just began to run for it. Bullets and missiles detonated all around us as we ran for the truck to get out of there. Unfortunately, my dad wasn't quite as fast as he used to be, as a bullet tore through his leg; crippled him right there. The T-47 just came and it… it killed him, crushed him beneath the tracks. It was all I could do to escape inside of the truck." William's face became heavy, as though he was, in some ways, still suffering from the loss.

"I'm sorry," Halsey remarked. For the first time since he met her, William noticed that she sounded… sympathetic, as though she'd lost a loved one too. "What happened after that?"

"After I got to the ranch, I just… collapsed and began to sob," William replied. "It felt as though my entire world had been shattered into broken shards of glass, a mess that I couldn't fix. I had all the intelligence of a master computer programmer, the firearms skills of a veteran, and the mechanical skills of a talented engineer, but I couldn't save my dad. It nearly broke me when I realized that I couldn't save him. The HK's that I tinkered with must have sensed my grief, as they just came around and stood right next to me, as if they wanted to comfort me but didn't really know how. My grandfather, who was roughly 79 at this point, sat down next to me and asked me what was wrong. When I told him what had happened, he took me inside and just sat there with me. I think he was also mourning for my dad's loss too, just in a different way. Eventually, after I'd calmed down, I began to think about what to do next, while absentmindedly tinkering with a radio that I found. It was busted up badly, but with the help of the first HK that I tamed, I was able to get it to work again. That's when I heard it: John Connor's broadcast.

"I'd heard about the Resistance before my dad's death, but I felt that they were fighting a losing war at this point. Dad had heard about the concentration camps that Skynet had set up, using the people inside as slave labor in order to dispose of the bodies of the dead. On top of that, Skynet was building better and deadlier HK drones in order to wipe out any remaining resistance. John Connor's broadcast, however, gave me hope, hope that someday, I would get the revenge I deeply desired. I wanted nothing more than to march to Skynet's Central Processor and destroy it, to force Skynet to feel what it was like to lose everything you'd loved and built, even it it meant my death. Connor's broadcast, though, showed me that I wasn't the only one that wanted revenge, that wanted to beat Skynet into the dirt, until it never got up again."

"So, you joined because you wanted revenge?"

"Yes; I wanted revenge for the wrong that Skynet had perpetuated against my dad. Eventually after listening long enough, I decided that, if I wanted to really do Humanity some good, I was going to join the Resistance, and make Skynet pay for it's crimes. My grandfather cautioned me against joining such a path angrily, but I was too upset and angry to really pay attention to him when I left, along with the HK drones that I had reprogrammed. Eventually, I reached this one area of Los Angeles and began looking for the Resistance. I wasn't naive about the Metals, what members of the Resistance called the HK drones and Terminators, so I kept an eye out for any unusual activity. Eventually, I spotted a group of Resistance soldiers, came over with my hands off my weapons and asked, 'Where can I join the Resistance? I heard the broadcast and I came to join.' Two hours later, I was a full blown member of the Resistance."

"I see," Halsey remarked. After a moment, she offered William a drink, which he took, after making sure it wasn't spiked with drugs to make him more compliant. "So, when did you your first humanoid Terminator?"

"Around the year 2015," William replied. "I was out on patrol with a group of Resistance soldiers, along with the Arachnid HK drone that I reprogrammed. We were armed with M16A4 automatic rifles and sent to a part of Los Angeles known as the 'Grinder' to Resistance personnel. It was called that way because of the fact that Skynet would tend to plan ambushes to catch any unwary Resistance personnel off guard. While we were patrolling the area, and keeping our heads on a swivel, one of the men shouted that he spotted something or someone off in the distance. When I looked at the thing, it looked human, but a very poor attempt at looking human. I fired off a burst and 'killed' the thing almost immediately.

"What was it," Halsey asked.

"It was a T-600 Humanoid Terminator, probably the first of it's kind," William explained. "We brought it back to the Resistance base we were at to have Daedalus take a look. It actually worried the AI, that the AI it was based on was starting to emulate the human form, which was why it had nearly fooled our spotter. My first _real_ encounter with a T-800 series Terminator, however, took place on January 12th, 2027. I was doing a patrol in the same area, with a T-20D Arachnid Hunter Killer Drone, a highly advanced version of the HK Arachnid that I'd tamed some time ago, even had the same processor and memories inside of it. I was armed with the new, M-10B Phased Plasma Rifle; it was a M16A4 that was converted from ballistic munitions into a 2st Gen Phased Plasma Rifle. Fired green-white plasma bolts at supersonic velocities. I was performing a patrol when I saw something in the shape of a human being. Curious, I decided to get a closer look when the T-20D began firing on whatever it was. That was when it came out; it looked like a metallic, skeletal version of a human being, with cables and pneumatic pumps in lieu of actual muscles, two glowing red eyes and a chilling, frightening expression on it's face."

"What was your first reaction?"

"My first reaction was 'Shit! Where the fuck did this come from?!' The next thing I remember is pumping as many plasma bolts into the thing as I possibly could. It went down in the first four shots. After it was destroyed, I transported it back to the base. Turns out, a similar model had attempted to infiltrate the base itself. What was frightening was that it had a living tissue sheath over it's metallic endoskeleton, making it seem almost perfectly human. It was classified as the first T-850 that we'd encountered, and it was highly resistant to Gen 2 Phased Plasma Weapons. As a result, Daedalus upgraded the chassis with technology it had developed separately from Skynet's own research, and did the same for our weaponry. We were given access to the V-25A, the first in a lineup of 3rd Generation Phased Plasma weapons, the same kind you probably saw me using in the base.

"So, how did you get here," Halsey asked. "You said something about a 'Time Displacement Equipment.' Can you elaborate?"

"I will, but I won't disclose everything," William replied. "During the last major battle, my squad defeated Skynet by destroying the cold fusion reactor powering the entire Central Core. After a run in with the T-1000000, an arachnid composed of mimetic polyalloy, we used a bomb to destroy the reactor, terminating Skynet for good."

"Mimetic polyalloy," Halsey asked.

"A metal alloy that's heavily infused with nanotechnology, allowing it to behave like a liquid without being molten hot. Anyways, we destroyed the Central Core and the cold fusion reactor powering it, terminating Skynet in the process. After it was destroyed, John Connor had me report to him because of something we'd learned. Apparently, Skynet, sensing it's imminent defeat, built a device designed to use quantum mechanics to send machines with a living tissue sheath back in time. The goal of the Time Displacement Equipment was to send Terminators back in time to kill the leaders of the Resistance before the Resistance could form. John Connor had designated certain individuals, such as myself and Richard, to go back in time and protect the leaders of the Resistance from the Terminators sent to kill them."

"Wait," Halsey said, disbelieving what she'd just heard. "Skynet built a _time machine_?"

"As crazy as it sounds, it did," William replied. "An actual time machine. Boot up the computers and device, punch in a date, get in and before you know it, you're watching your younger self tie your own boots."

"Really," Halsey remarked. "How far can one go in time. Is there no limit or…?"

"There is actually a limit," William informed Halsey. "According to the research Skynet did on time travel, there's an unbreakable quantum barrier that prevents a person from traveling more than 550 years into the past. Skynet found that Terminators sent back farther than that would probably be disintegrated by this quantum barrier. Anyways, we discovered that Skynet had also researched a module that would allow anything without an organic coating to go back in time. As a result, John Connor designated the first two individuals to go back in time. The first was Sergeant Kyle Reese, who was sent to the year 1984 in order to protect Sarah Connor, John Connor's mother, while fathering him at the same time. A modified T-850 was sent to the year 1995 in order to protect John Connor from a mimetic polyalloy T-1000 sent to kill him as a child. Myself, Richard and my XO, Adrian, were planned to be sent several months back in time to protect Jacob Rivers, a Resistance agent who provided valuable intel to the Resistance. During the use of the module, however, it malfunctioned. Adrian made it through to the normal date, but Richard and I were caught in two, separate, quantum time bubbles, which transported us to your timeline. The rest, as they say, is history."

"I see," Halsey remarked. Stopping the recorder, she said, "Normally, I'd share this with ONI without editing, but I think that the possibility of time travel would be too much for ONI to handle. Given our current methods, I think more harm than good would follow."

"That's why I didn't share anything on how to _build_ it," William replied. "I think that time travel should only be used in the most desperate circumstances possible, such as if the human race is just millions away from extinction. It would be justified then, but before that, absolutely not. I also think that too many people at ONI have highly questionable ethics."

"Indeed," Halsey remarked, "which is why I said what I said. I'll be editing most of this, so your secret of time travel is safe with me. Beyond that, I would like to know more about your weaponry. Would you care for a visit to the armory?"

"Certainly," William replied.

* * *

What Halsey didn't know was that the Terminator was already there. Holland could feel some nervous tension as the Terminator examined the V-25A that William had brought with them, along with the crates that ONI had found and transported from New Alexandria to Sword Base. The rifle glinted brightly in the light of the Armory they were in.

"Amazing piece of hardware," the armorer remarked to the Terminator. "Never seen anything like it before. What is it?"

"V-25A 3rd Generation Phased Plasma Rifle," the Terminator replied. "The power pack is designed to hold enough power for roughly 500 bolts of plasma. The plasma chamber and focuser is designed to generate a superheated hydrogen plasma bolt within the 40 kilowatt range before it is accelerated by rail accelerators to supersonic velocities."

"That's impressive," Holland remarked. "Weapons research stagnated after the creation of the Shaw-Fujikawa Drive, when the UEG became it's strongest. Looks like the Future War you spoke of kept weapons innovation going."

"Correct," the Terminator replied.

"What's this gun," the armorer asked, holding up what looked like a shotgun.

"The V-15C Phased Plasma Shotgun," the Terminator explained. "Fires a spread of hydrogen plasma bolts within the 20 kilowatt range at supersonic velocities. The use of a plasma splitter chamber allows for the creation of each shot before it is accelerated by rail accelerators. Magnetic containment fields prevent the bolts from spreading until they exit the muzzle."

"These two?"

"The V-10D and V-20B Phased Plasma Pistol and Personal Defense Weapon. Both weapons fire a hydrogen plasma bolt in the 15 kilowatt range at supersonic velocities. The V-10D holds enough charge to fire 50 plasma bolts before reloading, while the V-20B holds enough charge to fire 150 plasma bolts. The last 3rd Gen Phased Plasma Weapon is the V-40E Phased Plasma Sniper Rifle, which fires a supersonic bolt of plasma within the 80 kilowatt range. The use of a variable zoom optic allows a skilled marksman to engage targets between 100 and 2100 meters. Due to the high power requirements, the weapon can only fire 20 bolts before requiring a reload."

"That's impressive," the armorer remarked. "No wonder you sent the schematics for this sh*t to Earth and any other non-Insurrectionist controlled industrial colony that has yet to be discovered by the Covenant: this is some powerful sh*t. I wish I had one to call my own."

"You might just get that wish," came another voice. Turning around, the others watched as William and Halsey walked into the armory. "Just finished my interview with Dr. Halsey here. I will admit, while it was necessary, I really hate interviews." Looking around, he said, "I see that you've found the crates I mentioned to Halsey during the interview."

"That's right," Holland replied. "Private Richard gave me his account of what happened during the Future War in your world. Given what I know, and what you've done so far, I'm certainly glad that you're on our side."

"Why wouldn't I be," William replied. "You're human, she's human, we all are. I'd be a completely heartless and sadistic b*stard to not help you guys out." After a moment, he asked, "So, what happens now that you two know the truth."

"I've already worked out a plan for that," Holland replied. "I'm formally installing you into NOBLE Team to serve as one of our own. We could use more members for our team, and having a Terminator on Noble Team would give us a considerable advantage."

"Does Noble Team know the truth?"

"I've already sent them to a briefing that explains where you came from, as well as who you are. It's hard to tell a Spartan-III forget the fact that your Terminator friend here pulled off a very difficult maneuver on an Elite. They'll know by the time we're done here."

"Good," William replied. "I'm more than willing to show the Covenant that us humans are tired of being pushed around. It's time we got our own payback."

* * *

"So, Private Parsons was a machine all along," Carter remarked after reading the report that Holland had just sent to them, along with the relevant video longs. "Damn, I didn't see that one coming."

"None of us did," Jorge remarked, taking a sip of water as he, and the others, played a game of cards in one of the briefing rooms in Sword Base. "The fact that he looks human made it even harder to spot him. If it weren't for that radiation signature, I would've thought he was lucky when it came to his genes."

"He had me fooled as well," Kat replied. "I thought that he simply had a very high pain tolerance, or couldn't feel pain due to a congenital condition. Now I know that he didn't feel pain because he's a machine."

"I wonder how he'll do out there," Emile remarked, calmly sharpening his knife on his right shoulder pauldron. "He looked like he was kicking ass out there. I'll bet the Covenant didn't see that one coming. I don't think they know he's a machine."

"They'll find out at some point," Kat remarked. "That's one thing that I know about the Covenant. They'll find out eventually, and they'll send someone that will try to, _ahem,_ 'terminate' the Terminator."

"They will fail in their mission," came Private Parson's voice. The others turned around to see the Terminator walking into the briefing room. "Private Parsons, reporting for duty."

"At ease," Carter replied. "So, I've heard that you've been installed into Noble Team. Is that true?"

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. "William has also been recruited into Noble Team. He has been promoted to Sergeant."

"I see," Carter replied. "Well, welcome to the team. We'll get you your own armor and bunk, but for now, you can mingle with the rest of us." As the others began to become more sociable, the Terminator knew that William was right. The Covenant were about to have a very, bad day.


	7. Under The Cover of Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - Terminator crossover. Thank you for the support that you have shown thus far. I deeply appreciate it, as well as any feedback that I can get. Either way, thank you for your support, and I hope to see you in later chapters. As always, leave a comment, a kudo or two, and enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Terminator franchises. They are the respective properties of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Carcolo Pictures, Skydance Productions, 20th Century Fox, Hemdale, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers, publishers and producers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's respective composers and/or artists.

**Terminator: Resistance OST - High Rise Exploration**

**Terminator: Resistance OST - High Rise Battle**

**Reach**

**Near Hydroelectric Dam**

**August 11, 2552**

Lok 'Pratomee kept a close eye on the area surrounding the maintenance facilities the humans used for their hydroelectric dam. Both his dark green eyes kept a quiet vigil over the place, looking for anything that was out of the ordinary. So far, all was quiet, but the Spec Ops Elite knew that could change on, as the humans put it, on the toss of a coin.

It had been roughly a day since he, and his fellow brothers-in-arms, had arrived at this Prophets forsaken place, and over a couple weeks since they had arrived at this Prophets forsaken planet. Even now, the mere _thought_ of touching the human's angular, functionalist architecture seemed like heresy, a minor heresy at that, but heresy all the same. Still, he had to be in a place that the humans didn't expect, so he'd taken up post near one of the buildings in order to remain hidden. His mission wasn't to assist in the defense of the area. As much as he disliked his assignment, he knew that his mission, to observe the UNSC's newest advantage, was crucial if the Covenant campaign here was to go smoothly. That was why he was already invisible, ready to spot anything out of the ordinary when it came to the humans.

 _Still, the thought of a human that feels no pain is… disturbing,_ he thought. When they'd attacked the human facility known as 'Sword Base', the Elites assigned to take the facility had reported that a human was using an advanced form of energy weapon. Against shields, the weapon was extremely effective, as it's high temperature, combined with it's unusually high velocity, allowed the plasma bolt to overload the shields very quickly. The armor had better luck, but not by a large margin, when it came to stopping the plasma bolts. What was more disturbing, however, was one of the humans that the Elites sent to take Sword Base had encountered. One of the reports indicated that an Elite Minor had terminated a human that was sent with a squad to inspect the human's FTL communications station, only for that human to get up, seemingly unharmed, and massacre the forces sent to the area. On top of that, the human had shown no pain whatsoever from the heat generated by plasma weapons discharge.

Having seen the combat footage that had been sent to the ship he'd come from, 'Pratomee had been, honestly, disturbed by the human's lack of a pain response, as well as it's lack of emotion. The brutal execution that the human had done, without any emotion, had been a disturbing moment as well. Further reports only further deepened the mystery around the human. Either way, there was something off about that human, which was why he was here in the first place. The Fleetmaster, Prophets bless him, had ordered 'Pratomee to investigate the rumors surrounding the strange human in an effort to see if they were true. As a result, he had sent here with the garrison in order to find out what was actually going on. So far, there hadn't been any activity, but he knew that was going to change, and soon.

A moment later, 'Pratomee heard some footsteps approaching his position. Turning around, he watched as an Elite wearing the same armor walked up to him. 'Pratomee spread his mandibles in the Sangheilian equivalent of a warm human smile. "Hello brother," he said to the other Elite. "I didn't expect you to be here."

"Neither did I, brother," the other Elite replied. That was V'rok 'Pratomee, his younger brother by a year. Normally, most Sangheilians were raised away from their siblings and parents by their uncles and aunts, an effort by Sangheilian society to prevent hubris from infecting that generation. When it came to Lok, however, he had hatched prematurely, requiring him to be raised with assistance. Besides that, he was a healthy infant of his species. V'rok had been born a year later, and at the correct time as well. Having been released from the nurse's tender care, Lok and V'rok had grown up together in the Sangheili's warrior society. Now, they were some of the most skilled Spec Ops Elites in the Covenant, and that was no mean feat.

"It's good that you're here, brother," Lok replied, giving his brother a short hug with a single arm. "How is the arm doing?"

"Very well," V'rok replied. "It healed properly, thankfully, and I have little, if any, loss of function in that limb. I will admit, those humans are quite resourceful when under duress." He said this because, about a month ago, a human had used an old anti-personnel mine they called a 'Claymore' to block off entry to his house. V'rok had been unfortunate enough to be caught in the subsequent detonation, with two other Sangheili in the same predicament. The two closest to the Claymore had been killed instantly by the blast and shrapnel, while V'rok had suffered significant damage to his right arm and chest. Normally, he would've refused medical treatment, but the injury was so bad that he needed medical help; the fact the wounds became infected shortly after that only nailed the point home. It was a tough decision, but V'rok, always being the more practical of the two, had undergone medical treatment, which was why he was still in the field, doing his work.

"They are, I will give them that," Lok admitted. "Still, the Prophets demand their destruction, and we will be the blade in their chest. Pity… they could've been a useful member of our Covenant."

"They might've been," V'rok agreed. Changing the subject, he asked, "Have you been given the same assignment as I have?"

"Yes. We're to observe one of the humans. The Fleet Master is particularly worried by that human's physical prowess and lack of pain and distress under fire. On top of that, another human was using what appeared to be advanced plasma weaponry."

"I see. We'll have to be cautious either way. These humans are getting more and more dangerous the closer we get to wherever their homeworld is at. A good hunter knows to be more cautious as the hunt wears on."

"An excellent lesson to remember," Lok replied. Looking around, he said, "I believe it's time that we begin our work, brother. Shall we?"

"Of course," the younger Sangheili replied, his body fading into transparency as his cloaking unit activated. Lok smiled as he also faded into invisibility as well. It was time to get to work.

* * *

Unbeknownst to V'rok and Lok 'Pratomee, they were about to get some company. As a lone _Phantom_ flew overhead, several figures remained still and prone, not daring to move while the Covenant drop ship flew overhead. As soon as it traveled beyond the bend on the cliffside, the figures got up and began to move.

William was keeping a close eye on his footing as he walked forwards. Along the cliff side path, there were gaps that, if an unwary solider stepped into one, could sent said soldier on a long fall to his death at the bottom. Stepping over one such gap in the pathway, William nervously gulped as rocks fell through the gap and towards the bottom of the ravine. That was one quirk that William had learned to fight against: his acrophobia. Most people didn't know that William was afraid of heights, as only the Terminator and a few select people knew. He'd discovered that phobia when he was at a tall building with his father, as he started to get dizzy and panicky when he got to the edge and looked down. His father, who used to have the same problem, had taught William how to overcome this fear. It didn't bother him nearly as much as before, but he still got that gut clenching feeling of vertigo whenever he was high up on something. Fortunately, if anything went wrong, Six was close by. Still, he would have to tolerate it, as their mission necessitated traveling on these bluffs and cliffs in order to get to their objective. According to Richard's briefing, there was an area of Reach's sensor network that was, mysteriously, being jammed, creating a sensor dark zone. ONI suspected that the Covenant had something to do with this, and had ordered a strike team to investigate. Since he wanted to determine how good the Resistance personnel were at infiltration, Holland had put William and the Terminator onto the strike team, which consisted of Kat, who ran communications, along with Jun and Noble Six, who were the infiltration team. As such, since they wanted to get in quietly, the strike team's equipment had been silenced. Silencing a plasma weapon, and eliminating it's glare, had been difficult, but William had brought along a Resistance designed flash and sound suppressor that did a good job of hiding the plasma bolt, allowing Resistance personnel to use phased plasma weaponry on covert operations. He was currently in possession of a V-40E Sniper Rifle, as well as his V-25A Phased Plasma Rifle.

Up ahead, the Terminator continued to calmly survey the area ahead of it. It was currently with Noble Three, or Jun as he preferred to be called, who was scanning the area ahead with his own suppressed SR-99c Anti-Materiel Rifle. "Recon Actual to Team leader. We've got more Covenant air traffic," Jun reported to Kat. "It's getting crowded up here."

"Then we're getting close," Kat replied. "Infiltrate the base as silently as you can, but be prepared to engage. Direct action may be necessary."

"Copy that," Jun replied. Looking at the Terminator, he snorted before saying, "Whenever Kat runs an up, direct action is always necessary." Turning around to Six, who'd caught up to them, he handed him a magazine of 14.5x114mm rounds. "Here take these. High Velocity Armor Piercing munitions. They'll take the hat off an Elite at 2000 yards, and they ain't cheap."

"I'll imagine," William, who'd caught up as well, remarked. "So, what's the plan, Stan?"

"I'll take up overwatch on this ridge up here," Jun decided. "You will accompany me, William, as my spotter. Private, Six, you two will head to ground and neutralize any targets quietly. Understood?"

"Affirmative," Parsons replied quietly. Since the T-850 series was designed for infiltration, it would make sense for Daedalus to design the Lima series to be as stealthy and quiet as possible when the infiltration subroutines were activated. With that said, the Terminator walked to the edge of the cliff and smoothly slid down the slope, with Six in tow. William followed Jun moments later, getting his helmet ready for spotting.

Coming to a stop at the bottom of the cliff, the Terminator proceeded to move forwards, keeping as silent as possible. Spotting an Elite, it moved up quietly, just as Jun said, "Elite. He's yours. Do it quietly."

 **Analyzing,** the Terminators systems reported. **Analysis Complete: Vulnerability Detected.** Moving forwards with a sudden burst of silent speed, the Terminator grabbed the Elite by it's mouth and jammed it's knife into the Elite's chest, moving the blade around to sever both aorta in the Elite's chest. The alien struggled and attempted to call for help, but the Terminator had blocked off it's throat with a fist, blocking any means of calling for help. Moments later, the Elite's limbs went limp, with the Terminator dropping the alien to the ground quietly.

"Not bad," Jun remarked. Turning to William, he asked, "Are all Terminators that silent?"

"When they have to be, yes," William replied. "The T-850 series, including the Lima iteration, are designed for infiltration and covert operations. As a result, they look human and they can be deadly silent on top of that. A Resistance Sergeant that I tutored under literally called them SBD's, meaning 'Silent But Deadly'."

"Really," Jun remarked. When William nodded, Jun filed that tidbit of information away in his head. If that was the case, he really didn't want to get on the Terminator's bad side.

Down below, Six and the Terminator were quickly, and silently, terminating any Covenant forces they found in their way. During Jun and William's talk, they had terminated a cluster of Grunts that were sleeping around an ornate object, with the two simply driving their knives into the heads of each Grunt. With those down, they moved up to a bluff that overlooked the next area. The next area appeared to be maintenance buildings and storage for the nearby hydroelectric dam that powered a number of residential areas far away from this place. A few houses were here as well, most likely for any workers that lived near the power plant. Fuel canisters and what appeared to be motorcycles were present as well, another means of transportation in this area. The Covenant were here as well, as Six spotted a number of Elites, Skirmishers, Jackals and Grunts in the area as well. An Elite Ultra was standing on the top of a maintenance building, while another was patrolling the area at the ground level. The Grunts were getting some sleep, while the Skirmishers and Jackals were also patrolling. A few were taking a short break, with those aliens playing what appeared to be their version of Poker.

"Got an Elite Ultra at 200m," William reported. "I've also got Skirmishers and Grunts at 100-300 meters, as well as what looks like a short range Covenant Comms Relay. I recommend taking out the Elite Ultra while Six handles the one patrolling the area at ground level. Parsons will sabotage the Comms Relay the Covenant are using so that, if we get spotted, the others aren't alerted either."

"Good idea," Jun replied. "I'll provide overwatch from this area. William, get set up. I want to see how well that V-40E works."

With their plan of attack decided, Six and Private Parsons began to move up, while Jun and William provided cover fire with their weaponry. "I've got the Ultra," William told Jun, who nodded in agreement. Taking aim, he placed the dot reticule onto the Elite's head and, in a smooth motion, squeezed the trigger of the V-40E. There was a muted warble as the Plasma SR fired, sending an invisible bolt of energy at the Elite's head. The Elite's shields popped like a balloon with the energy bolt's impact, allowing the bolt to tear through the armor and into the Elite's head. The alien's head was promptly converted into charred meat and brain matter, with the alien's body collapsing to the ground moments later. Looking around, William sighed with relief when none of the other aliens seemed to notice what happened. There was a muted _pop_ as Jun fired his SR at another Elite that William hadn't seen on his initial recon scan. That Elite tumbled to the ground, it's head exploding courtesy of the 950 grain bullet passing through it's skull. Again, there was no response from any members of the Covenant. Down on the ground, Parsons and Six were approaching the area. Crouch running up to the Elite, Six climbed up it's digitigrade leg and drove the knife straight into the alien's skull, killing the Elite instantly. At the same time, Parsons moved up and, reaching the Covenant Comms Relay, reached inside and, after performing a scan, ripped the power supply out, eliminating any means of calling for help.

That was when a Grunt Ultra passed by the Terminator on it's patrol. Turning to the left, the Grunt spotted the Terminator and, recognizing the human, gave out a loud screech before running away. "Shit, incoming," Jun shouted. "Looks like we really pissed them off." With the element of surprise gone, the Terminator removed the suppressor from it's MA5D and opened fire on the fleeing Grunts, terminating more than a few with hyper-accurate gunfire. The sudden crack of gunfire, combined with the Grunt's screech, promptly alerted any Covenant in the nearby area. An Elite Major came out to see what was going on, only to receive a 40mm Grenade to the face, as well as a healthy burst of bullets. With that target terminated, the Terminator moved forwards to engage more Covenant forces, calmly dashing from rock to rock as it fired on the Covenant forces.

Sliding down the cliff, William removed the suppressor from his V-25A and opened fire on the Covenant forces. Plasma fire streaked out from the weapon's muzzle, tearing into any Covenant on the ground. An Elite tried to establish contact with any other groups, but was unable to do so before it was killed, courtesy of Parson's sabotage. "Move up," William shouted. "Keep the pressure on!" Taking his advice, the others pressed forwards, firing on any Covenant forces that got in the way of their objectives. An Elite Minor charged at Six, only to be knocked to the side by the Terminator. Picking the Elite up, the Terminator threw it against a fuel storage tank before kicking it in the head, crushing it's skull against the hardened, titanium alloy.

Six and Jun moved up as well, with Jun providing sniper fire, while Six began firing his M7S SMG, peppering the Grunts and Jackals with 5mm AP bullets. Catching up, William fired off a burst of plasma, terminating a Grunt that was unlucky enough to be caught out in the open. A Jackal was promptly torn apart by a grenade that Six had thrown, while also killing a Skirmisher that had gotten too close. With that, all of the enemy forces in the area were down. The Terminator had, unsurprisingly, gotten the largest kill count, as the panic that had ensued had allowed it to terminate a large number of Covenant with ease. **Covenant Casualties: 100%** , the Terminator's systems reported. **Human Casualties: 0.0%** "Excellent," Parsons remarked.

"Not bad," Jun remarked. "Not bad at all." Behind him, William reattached the suppressor onto his rifle's muzzle, with the Terminator doing the same as well. Once they were ready, the team moved up.

As they did so, William thought he heard something. "Quiet," he told the others. "I just heard something."

"What is it," Jun asked.

"I don't know," William replied. "It sounds like a bunch of animals that are either deep in mating season, or are extremely angry. I'm not a biologist, so I can't tell you which one it is for certain." Moving up, the Resistance Sergeant turned UNSC Sergeant looked around the bend of the ravine path they were in.

To his surprise, there were two, massive horned creatures that were attacking a group of Grunts and Skirmishers in the area. The Grunts were being battered and torn apart like paper, while the Skirmishers were using their agility to keep out of range of the massive creature's angry roars and fists. A single Covenant _Phanton_ was in the area, keeping an eye out in the event the others needed assistance. "Whoa," Jun gasped. "Look at that."

Spotting the disturbance, the Terminator performed a scan. **Scan Complete. Lifeform Classification: Quinta. Warning: Hostile When Approached. Organisms Barring Path. Termination Required.** With that determination made, the Terminator waited until the surviving Covenant loaded up into the _Phantom_ , which left the area after a couple minutes. Looking at Jun, the Terminator said, "Here. Hold this." Taking the suppressed rifle, Jun looked at the Terminator with some confusion when it took his SR. Getting down, the Terminator took aim with the SR and, with extreme precision, fired a shot at the q _uinta's_ head. The bullet tore through the creature's eye socket and into it's skull, with the heavy bullet bouncing around inside. That _quinta_ fell to the ground dead, blood and ichor seeping from it's eye as the other _quinta_ roared loudly at the Terminator. Before it could move forwards, it too was eliminated. "Targets terminated," the Terminator announced, handing the SR back to Jun before reclaiming it's MA5D.

"Nice shot," Jun remarked. Moving up, he said to Kat, "Recon Actual here, looks like the wildlife wasn't happy. What are these things?"

"They're an indigenous creature called _quinta_ ," Kat replied. "Very large and dangerous when they're provoked. Most of the time, they're peaceful. They prey on the smaller ostrich-like creatures as food."

"I see," Jun remarked. Moving up, the team moved past some of the same ostrich like creatures they'd spotted earlier. Most of them had no reaction to the team, with the Terminator moving by them as though they didn't exist.

Just then, they heard a series of popping sounds beyond their current location. "Standard issue sidearms," Jun observed. "Sounds like a security force. Probably coming from the hydroelectric dam." After some walking, the team reached the entrance to the area around the hydroelectric dam. The hydroelectric dam was a large structure, with control buildings located at the top of the walled off structure. A tunnel underneath the dam provided a relief valve for any excessive amounts of water that needed to be drained out. Large pumps were operating in the background, providing more power to the nearby areas that needed it. A large bridge connected the area to the nearby region, providing a means of access for any legitimate personnel. The area was currently under attack by Covenant forces, as a group of what appeared to be members of the local militia were firing back. "Looks like militia personnel," Jun observed. "Let's move up and provide assistance."

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied.

Moving up closer, the team heard a militia member shout, "Give us a hand! Bastards just keep coming!" Moving up, the squad began terminating any Covenant forces in the area with extreme prejudice. Catching an Elite off guard, the Terminator hurled the alien against a polycrete wall before driving a steel beam through it's chest. The alien roared in pain, allowing the Terminator to plant a grenade in it's mouth. The grenade detonated when the Terminator was far away enough, obliterating the Elite's skull. A group of Skirmishers gave shrill screams of pain as William fired his V-25A at them, sending plasma bolts in their direction. One bolt struck a nearby tree, causing the tree to explode violently as the sap flash-boiled. Reaiming, William fired off another burst at a nearby Grunt, killing the alien instantly.

With all hostiles down, Jun walked up to the leader of the militia forces and asked, "What are you people doing here? Shouldn't you be somewhere safer?"

"We didn't want to have someone else defending our homes," the man replied. "But we couldn't take on the Covenant with our gear, so we came back with these." Walking over to a crate, he opened them up, revealing UNSC weaponry inside. "We figured that with this hardware, we'd be able to hold off the Covenant."

"Most of these weapons are stolen," Jun remarked.

"What, are you gonna arrest me?"

"No. We'll just steal it back," Jun replied.

"Incoming," William shouted. "More fucking Covenant incoming. The motherfuckers really don't want to give up."

"Do you have a Missile Launcher," the Terminator asked the militia leader.

"Yes," the man replied. "It's in the storage facility behind you. Why do you ask?"

"Stay here and help these people," the Terminator replied. "I'll be back." With that, the Terminator left to acquire the weapon.

"Is he always like that," the militia leader asked William.

"Yes," William replied. "Usually, though, he comes back with something good." Moments later, all conversation ended, as a _Phantom_ flew overhead and began shelling the area with plasma bolts. Taking cover, the group opened fire on any Covenant forces that deployed from the ship. Suddenly, a missile flew out from a structure and impacted the _Phantom_ on the turret, destroying the mount the weapon was mounted on. Another missile flew out a moment later, tearing apart some of the nanolaminate armor. Looking in that direction, Jun watched as the Terminator reloaded the SPUNKr Missile Launcher and, aiming again, fired on one of the Phantom's modules.

Realizing that it needed to retreat, the _Phantom_ broke off the engagement and left the area posthaste. With that _Phantom_ gone, the Terminator slung the weapon onto it's back and regrouped with them. "They won't be back," he reported to Jun.

"Nice work," Jun replied. Just then, _two_ dropships arrived, offloading more Covenant forces into the area. Taking out the MA5D, the Terminator opened fire on the arriving Covenant forces, with the others doing the same as well. Bullets and plasma bolts flew through the air as both sides fought for control of the area.

Popping out of cover, William fired off a burst of plasma, killing a few Skirmishers and Grunts in the process. He was about to duck into cover when massive green cloud of plasma flew through the air and impacted him, sending him flying through the air before landing near a crate. Jun ran over to help him while Six, the militia and the Terminator continued firing. Spotting the Fuel Rod totting Grunt, the Terminator immediately neutralized the Grunt. "Are you alright," Jun asked William, who was getting up from his encounter with the Fuel Rod blast.

"I'm OK," William replied, though it was clear that he had some plasma burns underneath his armor. "I've been through worse than this. I once got hit with a plasma bolt from a T-47 HK Tank; barely survived thanks to my armor, but I needed to wait a full month before I could go out into the field again. This… this is nothing compared to that." Relieved that William was still combat capable, Jun smiled as he and William rejoined the defenders, fighting back against the Covenant assault. Eventually, the Covenant forces thinned out, until there were none left. "All clear," William reported, holding back a wince.

"Where to now?" Jun asked.

"Follow me," the militia leader replied. "There's a dried up river bed nearby. We use it to smuggle food, weapons, ammo."

"Basically anything the UNSC considers contraband," Jun assumed.

"Basically," the militia leader replied. With that, they reached the entrance to the ravine and moved on. The dried up riverbed was devoid of life, with only the plants in the area suggesting that this used to be a river. Rocks and boulders were strewn about the area, while cracked sections in the rock walls surrounding the river bed indicated that there were frequent rockslides in the area.

As they moved through, William found that the militia reminded him of the Resistance during it's early days. They had no armor to protect themselves against the Covenant's weaponry, ballistic weapons that, while good, were hard to use against Covenant forces, and they were relying on luck and skill to get through the day. _Hopefully, they'll end up just like us after we created Daedalus,_ William thought. _I'd be more than happy to help them kick the Covenant in the ass_.

As they moved through, the Terminator held up a fist, then motioned to the other to hide. "Get down," he informed them, with the group doing exactly that. Moments later, a Covenant _Phantom_ flew overhead, using it's spotlight to scan the ravine for any intruders that were heading that way. After some time, it left, with the Terminator motioning for them to move up again.

They exited the ravine into a large, wide open area that had multiple embankments strewn about. Trees and desert shrubbery grew in the area, while large rocks and boulders were scattered about the place, providing decent places to provide cover. There was also another facility here as well, most likely another hydroelectric power plant, as well as a large gate that led out to another part of the area. What caught everyone's attention, however, was the massive Covenant structure in the area. It stood roughly 50 meters into the air, with a large rotating section that emitted waves of energy at regular intervals. A narrow platform was located halfway up the object, and currently held a number of Grunts and Skirmishers that were providing overwatch for any Covenant forces in the area. A few Elites were strewn about as well, though there were most likely more inside of the structure.

"Got something here," Jun reported to Kat. "Covenant structure. Looks kinda like a big pylon."

Scanning the object, the Terminator said, "The pylon is emitting a jamming field with enough power to disrupt the sensor network within the area of the dark zone. The Covenant appear to have deployed this pylon to disguise their troop movements. The size and strength of the pylon indicates that there may be an invasion force."

"I agree," Kat replied. "That's the source of our dark zone."

"OK, then," Jun remarked. "Consider it gone."

"Negative," Kat countered. "Command wants it intact until tomorrow. They've got something special planned for the Covenant. Place an explosive charge at the pylon, then await further orders."

"Rodger that," Jun replied. Looking at William, he asked, "You think you and the others could cover me while I plant the explosives?"

"Affirmative," William replied. "We'll keep 'em off of you long enough for you to plant charges. Once the charges are planted, we'll head out that gate and find out what the Covenant are up to." With their strategy decided, the squad continued to move up.

Spotting them, the Covenant forces opened fire, firmly intent on driving the men away from the pylon. Firing his V-25A, William took out the Skirmishers providing cover fire on the pylon, before moving up to the base. Spotting what appeared to be a light, he moved forwards, only to yelp in surprise when he was lifted off of his feet and up onto the platform. _Anti-gravity_ _,_ he thought. _I wish we had some of that back home._ Moving around on the platform, he quickly eliminated the Grunts before whistling to Jun. "All clear here," he shouted. "Get to work! I'll provide cover fire!"

While Jun got to work, the Terminator took the militia squad and began clearing the structures inside. Hearing a scream, the Terminator turned around to see an Elite Captain plunging an energy sword into one of the militia men. Running up to the creature, the Terminator delivered a punishing blow into the Elite's face, knocking it backwards. Taking out the energy sword from the dead man, the Terminator stabbed the Elite in the chest, before it stabbed it in the stomach, and upper chest. "Defective strategy," the Terminator noted as the Elite fell to the ground, dead. Moving onward, the Terminator continued to clear out the enemy from the civilian buildings inside, often throwing an Elite or two out of a window and into the stream, which was flowing rapidly due to melting snow from further up the mountains. One Elite was sent to it's death this way, it's gurgling roar drowned out as it was swept over the edge and off the cliff.

With all hostile contacts down in the building, the Terminator advanced with the remaining militiamen and began firing on the Covenant that were being deployed outside of the building. More plasma bolts came from William's position, as the Resistance Sergeant continued to rain down more death onto the Covenant forces. Joining in, the Terminator helped the man quickly remove any resistance from the area. Eventually, another _Phantom_ came along, only this one dropped off a pair of Hunters as well. The two, massive creatures immediately began targeting the Terminator, firing their Fuel Rod Cannons at the machine. Tossing the men aside, the Terminator engaged all of it's myomer systems, allowing it to move far faster than a regular human being. The Fuel Rod Cannon shots missed by feet as the Terminator moved at roughly 45km/h to evade the bolts. Pulling out the Missile Launcher, the Terminator took aim and fired a missile at one of the Hunters. The missile struck the Hunter on it's head, tearing through the thinner armor plating and into the colony of worms. There was an explosion of worms and gore as the missile detonated, tearing the Hunter apart. The second Hunter roared in rage at the loss of it's bonded one, though it didn't have long to be angry, as a second, well placed missile tore through it as well, eliminating the Hunters as a threat.

A moment later, Kat asked, "Noble Three, SITREP."

"Explosive charge placed," Jun replied as the others finished mopping up any remaining resistance. "Put it inside the pylon's power supply. When daytime comes back, the Covenant are going to have a nasty surprise."

"Good," Kat replied. "Command wants to know what we're dealing with. You're to move up to these coordinates and report in what you find. Noble Two out."

"Rodger that," Jun replied. Moving up to the gate controls, he punched in a series of numbers before entering them into the system. Moments later, the system cleared the codes, causing the gate to open up until there was enough room for everyone to get through comfortably. Once they were through, they left the gate open, as they would have to come back for extraction. Moving up, they found themselves traveling along another ravine, with green glowsticks marking the locations of weapons caches that the militia had set up in the event they needed fire support. The ravine led out to a large, flat area that overlooked the plains down below, with embankments, small mounds and hills interrupting the flatness of the bluff. Towering rocky walls surrounded the ravine, leading to a smaller area on the other side of the area. The Covenant were more heavily armed and equipped here as well, with a Shade Turret that had been mounted on the hill where it would provide the most fire support. Elites, Jackals and Grunts were present, and they were more than waiting for any UNSC forces that came through the area. "Looks like we've got some heat," Jun remarked. "I'm also seeing a huge increase in air traffic."

"We will need to eliminate the Covenant forces here if we are to proceed," the Terminator remarked.

"Agreed," Jun replied. "Alright, people. Let's kill some Covenant, then find out what the hell they are doing here in the first place." Moving up, the Terminator started the firefight by firing a 40mm grenade at the Shade Turret.

It was an expert shot despite the range. The Grunt inside the Shade Turret was killed instantly, the shrapnel tearing through it's body with ease as the Grunt was flung out of the turret. The controls for the Shade Turret were completely obliterated as well, rendering the turret useless in it's designated role as fire support. With the Shade Turret out of action, the squad moved up and began engaging the Covenant ground forces. An Elite charged at William, who dodged out of the way just in time; climbing up the hill, he reached the top and fired off his V-25A, pelting the Elite with plasma bolts. The alien's corpse had just hit the ground when William left the area, moving forwards.

Another Grunt with a Fuel Rod Launcher was about to fire, only for Jun to nail it cleanly in the head with a round from his SR. Six was proving to be especially deadly, as the Hyper-Lethal SPARTAN-III was tearing into the Covenant with his SMG and a Plasma Pistol he pilfered from a dead Grunt. A Jackal was promptly killed by Six, when he overloaded it's energy shields and tore it apart with a burst from his SMG. Moving upwards, the Terminator reloaded the GL and fired at an Elite Ultra, shattering it's shields in the process. Rather than charge immediately, the Ultra pulled out an energy sword and juked to the left, before charging at the Terminator. Moving to the right, the Terminator dodged the swing, before smashing it's fist into the Elite's neck. The Elite tumbled head first, rolling into an upright position just the Terminator fired. The Terminator emptied every round in the magazine into the Elite's head, turning the alien's head into a bloody pulp before it collapsed to the ground. "You are terminated," the Terminator remarked, reloading before killing a Grunt that was just barely alive. With all hostiles down, the group moved up towards the small cavern.

Crawling on his stomach, Jun moved forwards until he was able to get a good view of what was out there. Looking out over the area, Jun's eyes widened when he saw what appeared to be a massive concentration of Covenant forces in the plain beyond, with bases and vehicles being deployed on a regular basis. "Whoah," he gasped. "Kat, are you seeing this?"

"Copy that," Kat replied. "Looks like our Terminator friend was right. The Covenant have deployed an invasion force to take the planet from us."

"That's the size of it," Jun remarked. "If we're going to take this thing out, we'll need to move in hard and fast."

"Agreed," Kat replied. "Get your men out of there and to an extraction point. Sun's coming up soon, and it's going to be a busy day."

"Agreed," Jun replied. With that, the group retreated, heading to an extract point. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day indeed.


	8. Forward Assault

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - Terminator crossover. Thank you all for your continued support of my crossover. I deeply appreciate it, and any feedback that I can get. Don't forget to check out and review my Halo - Mechwarrior/Battletech crossover, Halo: Mechwarrior. That is my first crossover, and I deeply appreciate any feedback I can get on that crossover. If you spot any lore inconsistencies and/or any plot inconsistencies, feel free to let me know. I welcome that kind of feedback, as it helps me become a better writer.
> 
> As always, leave a comment, a kudo or two, and enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Terminator franchises. They are the respective properties of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Carolo Pictures, Hemdale, 20th Century Fox, Lightstorm Entertainment, Skydance Productions, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers, producers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.

**Command & Conquered Remastered OST - Act On Instinct**

**Reach**

**Near Covenant Staging Site, Szurdok Ridge**

**August 12h, 2552**

"It appears that last nights discovery was not an anomaly," Dot said as the _Falcon_ Carter was on sped towards it's destination. "Large scale Covenant movements have gone undetected, and we are under attack across the Vasily region, including orbital defenses. As per the Winter Contingency, we are countering on every front. Noble Team's reconnaissance has revealed the presence of army hiding canopies, as well as what appears to be a Covenant staging area for further reinforcements." Looking down below, Carter could see the UNSC Strike Force that had been sent to engage the Covenant landing zone in force. _Warthog_ and _Scorpion_ engines roared loudly as the drivers gunned the engines, along with numerous _Mongooses_ that had been pulled out of storage and pressed into service. Most of the Marines and ODST's on each vehicle were armed with powerful weaponry, ranging from MA5B's to BR55 Battle Rifles, to M42 SSR MAV/AW Missile Launchers.

Looking forwards, he could see that the Covenant had sent their own defensive force in order to protect the invasion zone. Dust was swirled and kicked up into the air as the Covenant's defensive force charged towards them with near equal speed. Soon, both armies would smash into each other with uncontained fury. Looking down again, he could see Kat, Noble Six and the Terminator on one of the _Warthogs._ The Terminator was currently manning the LAAG, while Kat was driving and Six was in the passenger seat. The Terminator's squadmate, William, was currently in the _Falcon_ with Carter, as his job was to ensure communications continued normally. He would be out of the fight for now. The largest change, however, was with the Terminator. Due to the fact that Noble Team was composed of SPARTAN-III's, it was decided that the Terminator would be given it's own suit of MJOLNIR Powered Armor, given it's exemplary performance after being recruited into the UNSC. Sword Base had a spare in the event that one such SPARTAN-III's Powered Armor was damaged, which was convenient. The armor was a steel gray color, with a silver colored visor that hid the Terminator's face. In Noble Team's opinion, the change in armor was fitting for a Terminator. Keying his COM, he said, "Alright, Noble Team. Command has designated the enemy air field as a priority target. Move in and take it out."

"Copy that," Kat replied. "Getting ready to hit the detonator." Pulling out the detonator in her hand, she said, "Detonating explosives in three… two… one…" Moments later, he pressed the button. The army hiding canopy that Jun had placed explosives at exploded with tremendous force, the structure collapsing inward on itself as it's structural integrity failed. Moments later, the dark zone that had been sheltering the area vanished, revealing the rest of the Covenant army to anyone monitoring sensors. Now the Covenant couldn't hide anymore. Right on cue, several _Banshees_ began firing on their position, with some scoring direct hits on UNSC vehicles. The Terminator immediately opened fire with the LAAG, downing a few _Banshees_ as it targeted the most vulnerable parts of their chassis: the wing-like structures on either side. One _Banshee_ tried to pull a kamikaze charge, only for Six to blow it out of the sky. Swerving to the right, Kat began driving towards a bridge that would take them towards one of the AA arrays that Six had spotted during the reconnaissance mission last night. Moments later, a _Banshee_ took the bridge out, with only one _Warthog_ making it across before the bridge was destroyed. "Hold onto something," Kat shouted as their vehicle jumped the gap at maximum speed. Hitting a bump during the jump, the vehicle tumbled end over end, flinging the Terminator out of the turret, while Kat and Six were jostled about in their seats.

Curling up into a ball, the Terminator flew through the air like a cannonball, landing on the ground with a muted _thump_. Rolling along the ground, the Terminator rolled a distance of roughly 80m, smashing into an Elite in the process. The alien's bones were immediately crushed by the impact, with the alien's skull cracking open like an egg. Over by the _Warthog,_ Six slowly struggled to his feet, shaking his head to help get rid of the disorientation. Looking to his right, he watched as another _Warthog_ attempted to jump the gap, only to fall short and tumble into the ravine below. "Six, on your feet," he heard Kat order him as she kicked a weapon over to him. "We need to move, now!"

"On my way," Six replied, getting onto his feet and grabbing the weapon Kat had kicked over to him: an M319 Grenade Launcher. Looking up, he tried to get an idea of where he was at.

The area they'd landed in was a small piece of savanna that had wrestled a patch of land from the unforgiving desert region they were in. A few trees grew here and there, with most of the vegetation being brush and grass. Boulders were scattered throughout the area, providing cover locations in the event they were attacked. Moving up, Six narrowly dodged a Fuel Rod Cannon blast that a pair of _Banshees_ fired, with one shot blowing apart the M12 LAV that they'd arrived here on. Looking up, Six spotted Covenant forces that were taking cover on a small mound where the savanna terrain was at. A Shade Turret was mounted at the top, with a Grunt providing cover fire for the enemy forces. "We need to take out that Shade Turret," Kat ordered Six. "That GL you've got fires dual mode grenades. Can you take out the turret?"

"Affirmative," Six replied, firing an EMP grenade at the Shade Turret. Detonating on impact, the grenade temporarily shorted out the systems in the turret, rendering it useless as support. Moving up, Six fired another EMP grenade at a group of Elites, shattering their shields. "Where's Noble Eight," Six asked.

He got his answer when gunfire shredded the Elite's that he'd just EMP'ed, tearing through their armor and splattering blood onto the ground. Moments later, the Terminator came out of the spot it had landed in, firing the M45 Tactical Shotgun with lethal accuracy. After a few seconds, all the Elites in that group were eliminated. Running up to the Shade Turret, the Terminator watched as the Grunt manning the weapon looked at him in fear. "Get out," the Terminator ordered. Not wanting to argue, the Grunt immediately hopped out, whimpering fearfully before curling up into a ball, it's will to fight gone. Getting into the now operational Shade Turret, the Terminator began to lay down cover fire for Six and the others. It was about to target more enemies when a hand yanked the Terminator out of the Shade Turret. Spotting the Elite Major that had pulled it out, the Terminator dodged a blow from it's fist and retaliated with it's own blow to the alien's head, pulverizing it's skull and brain in the process. "You are terminated," the Terminator said calmly, as though it was remarking about the weather.

Turning around, the Terminator quickly helped Kat and Six neutralize the remaining Covenant forces. A Skirmisher attempted to take down the Terminator, only to end up with eight bullets to the head and chest. The last enemy, a Jackal, made the wise decision to surrender on the spot; dropping it's weapon and shield gauntlet, the Jackal got onto it's knees and placed it's hands on it's head, allowing the Terminator to knock it out. "All targets eliminated," Kat called out. Keying her COM, she said, "Noble Two to any _Pelicans_ in the area. Our _Warthog_ is down and we need to get to our objective."

"Copy that," a _Pelican_ pilot replied. "I'm heading to your location now. I have a MRLS _Warthog_ ready to go."

Moments later, William, known as Noble Seven, reported in. "Noble Two, this is Noble Seven, Command has identified two AA turrets that are tearing apart our air support. Your orders are to head to each AA turret and take them out. The _Pelican_ moving to your position has been notified."

"Copy that," Kat replied. "Waiting for ground transport." Closing the com-link, she turned to the Terminator and asked, "Are you alright? That impact looked pretty hard."

"I am operational," the Terminator replied. "The Lima iteration of T-850's is designed to withstand impacts in excess of 30G's. My actuator assemblies are not damaged."

"That's good to hear," Kat replied. Moments later, the _Pelican_ Kat had contacted arrived, carrying a _Warthog_ that had a MRLS turret mounted on the back. Two missile pods were on either side of the vehicle, each one holding three missiles. The turret was bulky in the middle, due to the fact that the missile pod loading system was located in that area. The Terminator analyzed the specs on the turret. According to the turret specs, it had enough ammunition for roughly 4-5 salvos from both turrets, with each missile having the same firepower as the M42 SSR's 105mm missile. As long as it fired each missile individually, the Terminator determined it would be able to make every missile a direct hit on an enemy vehicle. Moments later, the _Pelican_ offloaded the vehicle, with the _Warthog_ landing with a _thump_ on the ground. Running forwards, the Terminator manned the gun, while Kat and Six got into the driver and passenger seat, respectively. Once inside, Kat gunned the engine, heading down a dirt path that led directly to the first location they needed to go to. The Covenant weren't going to make it easy, as several _Ghosts_ came out of the entrance to where the first AA weapon was located at. Spotting the incoming vehicle, the Covenant _Ghosts_ began firing their Plasma Repeaters, sending plasma bolts flying towards the _Warthog_. Swerving left and right, Kat dodged as many of the plasma bolts as she could, while the Terminator took aim.

Firing off a missile, the Terminator watched as it impacted a _Ghost_ , tearing the vehicle apart in the ensuing explosion. **Target Terminated,** the internal systems reported. **Changing Target.** Spotting another _Ghost,_ the Terminator fired another missile; while it didn't impact the Covenant vehicle, the resulting explosion flipped the _Ghost_ onto it's back, throwing the driver out of the vehicle and onto the ground. Kat exploited this moments later, crushing the Elite Minor under the weight of the LAV.

"Nice shot," she remarked.

"Thank you," the Terminator replied. With all hostiles down, they moved on towards the AA weapon.

They were nearly interrupted in their journey when a Covenant _Revenant_ appeared from the right. Spotting them the _Revenant_ fired off a smaller version of the plasma mortar that it's larger cousin, the _Wraith_ , made use of. Dodging the bolus of plasma, Kat maneuvered the _Warthog_ into position, allowing Six to fire off a missile. The missile impacted moments later, tearing apart some of the armor, though the enemy vehicle as still fully operational. The Terminator put an end to that mischief moments later. Firing off a pair of missiles, the Terminator aimed the weapon in a manner that prevented the _Revenant_ from taking evasive action. Both missiles struck their target, tearing apart the crew of the vehicle, while perforating the plasma core inside. The _Revenant_ exploded moments later, sending nanolaminate shrapnel and plasma everywhere. With the Covenant LAV eliminated, they moved on towards the AA Cannon.

The Covenant AA weapon was located at another bluff, with a sheer drop towards the right side of the canyon. More grass and trees were growing there, with a number of rocks providing more cover. Covenant forces were here as well, with many manning Shade Turrets or taking cover behind large boulders. A pair of Hunters were present as well, providing protection against any LAV's (Light Armored Vehicles) that came too close. The AA weapon itself was an imposing structure. Standing on three, iridescent purple-blue legs, the Covenant AA weapon was roughly 50 meters tall, with a large cannon that was firing plasma bolts at any UNSC aircraft that got too close. The entrance to the AA Cannon's interior was located on top of an embankment located near the center of the area. They were about to drive up to the AA Cannon when the Terminator said, "Six, come with me. We'll be back." Following the Terminator's orders, Six got out of the vehicle and, M42 SSR in hand, moved up towards the AA Cannon. Moments later, the Terminator pulled out a V-25A, having borrowed the weapon from William before the battle. Loading in a fusion magazine, the Terminator opened fire with the weapon, sending phased plasma bolts towards the Covenant forces with frightening accuracy. A Grunt was neutralized in short order, while a Jackal was forced to take cover behind it's shield. It's squawks of discomfort indicated that the heat from the phased plasma was seeping through the plasma, causing second degree burns.

Spotting the plasma, the Covenant retaliated moments later. Taking cover, the Terminator waited for the barrage of plasma to die down before popping out of cover, firing the V-25A at any high value Covenant forces. An Elite roared as the phased plasma tore through it's shields, melting it's armor and causing massive burns to it's body. Moments later, the plasma tore into it's body cavity, flash cooking the Elite Captain's internal organs. That was when the Hunters arrived. Spotting the Terminator, the Hunters made angry, rumbling sounds, before firing off a salvo of Fuel Rod Cannon shots. Ducking down, the Terminator signaled to Six to fire his M42 SSR. The first missile impacted one of the Hunters, staggering the Hunter and injuring the colony of worms inside. The second missile was the killing blow, detonating on impact and sending a few worms flying through the air. The second Hunter was also taken out with a pair of missiles, rendering the Covenant's anti-vehicular advantage useless.

With all Covenant forces outside down, the Terminator moved inside the AA Cannon. The interior was fairly spacious, with ramps leading up to a platform that the defenders would fire from in the event they had to protect the AA Cannon. The center of the AA Cannon, however, was occupied by a central chamber, with a shield barrier protecting the power supply of the AA Cannon itself. A few Covenant were inside, mostly Elites that were tasked with protecting the interior of the AA Cannon itself. One Elite, a Zealot, charged at the Terminator with an energy sword, shouting, "You will fall by my blade, machine!" The Terminator replied by dodging the blow, before backhanding the alien in the face. The Elite staggered backwards, losing it's grip on the energy sword as it attempted to recover from the blow. Grabbing the energy sword, the Terminator gutted the Elite in the blink of an eye, cauterizing and cooking organs before they splattered out onto the ground. Taking the Elite's corpse, the Terminator used it as a shield against another attack, allowing the Terminator to lash out with a fist. The sound of metal impacting bone rang inside of the AA Cannon like a bell, with the Elite in question falling to the ground, it's neck broken by the powerful blow.

On the other side of the AA Cannon, Six was also dishing out lethal justice. Using his Grenade Launcher, he fired off a grenade that detonated moments later, shattering the shields on a pair of Elites attacking him. Taking out his M6G, he nailed the two Elites with perfect headshots, neutralizing the remaining enemy attackers in the AA Cannon. Looking down at the Terminator, Six said, "Private Parsons, how do we destroy this thing?"

Looking at the central chamber, the Terminator scanned the area. **Analysis Complete. Vulnerability Detected. Destroy Central Chamber to Terminate AA Cannon**. "The central chamber must be destroyed," the Terminator replied. "Noble Six, I need you to fire a grenade into the central chamber when I disable the energy barrier. We will need to leave the structure and evacuate to the surrounding area, as the detonation will be lethal within 50 meters."

"Rodger that," Six replied. Walking up to the energy barrier, the Terminator struck it with a powerful blow, allowing Six to fire a grenade into the chamber. The central chamber was almost immediately destabilized, with a loud alarm indicating it was going to blow. Running out as fast as they could, they got into the _Warthog_ and drove out of the area as quickly as they possibly could.

They were just in time. The AA Cannon's interior detonated explosively, scattering shrapnel and debris across a 50 meter radius. Large pieces of the actual cannon's barrel fell to the ground, barring the way for any forces coming into the canyon. "AA Gun neutralized," Kat reported. "Good work."

"Affirmative," Six replied.

Gunning the engine, Kat and the others soon found themselves in an area that was separated from the rest of the canyon by a ravine. A bridge used to be there, but the Covenant had blown it to pieces, preventing travel to the other side of the canyon. There were a number of small paths around the mound that they were on, with each path differing in elevation. The Covenant had posted their own forces in this area. A single _Wraith_ was standing guard over the area, with a couple _Ghosts_ acting as an escort. Spotting the LAV the team was using, the _Wraith_ fired off a plasma mortar, sending the superhot bolus of plasma in their direction. "Incoming," Six shouted.

"I see it," Kat replied, swerving to the left to dodge the bolus of plasma as it landed, shaking the area slightly. "Parsons, I'm going to drive by the front of the _Wraith,_ " Kat told the Terminator. "When it boosts, shoot the rear exhaust vent! That's the weakest part of the tank!"

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. Driving forwards, Kat began driving the vehicle in front of the _Wraith_ , enticing it into trying to ram them. Taking the bait, the _Wraith's_ driver boosted forwards, with Kat narrowly dodging the blow.

Spotting the rear exhaust vent, the Terminator fired off a full salvo into the weak spot, tearing through the relatively thin nanolaminate armor. The shockwave, combined with the shrapnel being funneled inside, tore the Wraith's internal systems apart, causing the vehicle to shut down permanently. With the _Wraith_ permanently neutralized, the Terminator focused fire on the _Ghosts_ , terminating them quickly. Spotting their difficulty, a _Pelican_ came and dropped off a prefabricated bridge, allowing the team to get to the other side. "There's one more AA Cannon beyond your current location," William reported in over the COM. "We've also gotten word that a UNSC Marine detachment is under heavy fire. The Covenant have taken up position in a mining facility nearby. You'll have to cut through the mining facility to get to the last AA Cannon in your AO."

"Rodger that," Kat replied. "We're moving to their position." Gunning the engine, Kat drove over the prefab bridge and towards the facility in question.

The mining facility was located inside of a small bluff, with a steep ravine separating the structure from the rest of the area. The gap was bridged by a fairly wide bridge, which led towards the mining facility's ground level. The angular, steel gray and black facility was a sharp contrast to the warm tan color of the sandstone surrounding it. On their side of the bridge, Six could see the UNSC Marines firing at a group of Covenant forces that were fortified on the other side. A Shade Turret was firing at the Marines, forcing them to duck into cover in order to avoid being killed. "Can you give us a hand," a Marine called out to Kat. "That fucking turret has us pinned! We can't get through!"

"Copy that," Kat replied. "Parsons, take out the turret."

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. Taking aim, the Terminator fired off the remaining missiles in the turret, using them to terminate any ground forces with ease. The Shade Turret exploded as a pair of missiles struck, sending the thing rolling backwards like an oversized tire. With all contacts down, the squad disembarked from the _Warthog_ , with the UNSC Marines following behind closely as they moved into the mining facility. The mining facility had a series of stairs that led up and into the facility, which would lead them to a garage nearby. Crates, gas canisters and gas bottles were strewn about the place, with a few fuel tanks located here and there. Moving up, the Terminator was about to round a corner when it was blasted backwards by a bolus of blue-white plasma. Getting off the ground, the Terminator looked around the corner to see another Covenant species using a Plasma Launcher. **Analysis Complete. New Species Identified: Brute (Jiralhanae). Alert: Highly Aggressive Species. Will Enter Berserk State When Sufficiently Damaged. Terminator Priority: High.** Pulling out the V-25A, the Terminator fired off a burst of plasma, damaging the Brute's powered armor. The alien roared angrily, firing off more bolus' of plasma from it's weapon while attempting to get within melee range. Unaffected by the show of ferocity, the Terminator fired off another burst of plasma, penetrating the alien's armor and cooking it's internal organs. The Brute quickly fell to the ground, dead. Continuing to move forwards, the Terminator soon detected an Elite Zealot in the area. It made a note to investigate why there was an increased level of Elite Zealots in the area before it engaged the Elite. Around the Terminator, Kat and Six began firing on the Skirmishers, Jackals and Grunts, allowing the Terminator to continue it's work uninterrupted.

This Zealot, unlike the previous one, was much smarter in how it went it's engagement. Instead of closing into melee range, this Zealot began firing it's Plasma Repeater at the Terminator, with the machine ducking into cover. Pulling out a Plasma Grenade, the Elite threw the grenade, which stuck to the Terminator's helmet, which was just barely visible from behind cover. Pulling the helmet off immediately, the Terminator flung the helmet at the Elite, taking cover in the process. Moments later The Elite, caught off guard by the Terminator's reflexes, wasn't able to stop the incoming projectile in time, with the plasma grenade on the helmet detonating as soon as it impacted the Elite's chest. All Kat saw of the Elite's demise was a large amount of blood that was splattered on the wall, with the actual corpse speaking for itself. "Nice throw," she remarked. If the Terminator accepted the compliment, it didn't show it, as it continued onward into the facility. Moving forwards, the squad found that the Covenant had blown a hole into the floor, which dropped down into the garage down below, where a few Grunts were stationed at, were being the operant word. The demise of the Elite Zealot had taken the fight out of the small, squat aliens, with each one running for the hills as quickly as possible. With all contacts down, the Terminator spotted a _Mongoose_ and got on, with Kat and Noble Six doing the same on another one. Gunning the engine, the Terminator zoomed past the others, heading for the next AA Cannon. Spotting a small ramp, the Terminator gunned the engine, causing the _Mongoose_ to perform a wheelie just before it was launched into the air.

It turned out, that ramp was actually part of a roadway overpass that had been built to allow workers and supplies to reach the mining facility they'd just left. The Covenant had wrecked it, however, leaving large gaps in the overpass that could only be jumped by a daredevil driver or, in this case, a Terminator. As a result, what happened next was predictable to the machine, but quite interesting for Six and Kat to watch. Flying through the air, the Terminator leaned back on the seat, ensuring that the weight of the engine didn't cause the _Mongoose_ to tumble end over end. Moments later, it landed on one of the intact sections of the overpass, which had a LAAG equipped _Warthog_ sitting pretty near the edge. Jumping off the _Mongoose,_ the Terminator latched onto the _Warthog_ , causing the vehicle to rock as the _Mongoose_ flew over the edge and towards the ground. Getting into the _Warthog_ , the Terminator gunned the engine, causing the vehicle to drop off of the overpass section and towards the ground. The vehicle landed on the ground with a hard _THUD_ , with the suspension reacting quickly in order to keep the vehicle from being critically damaged. Fortunately, thanks to UNSC military engineering, the _Warthog_ remained fully intact when it landed, with the Terminator driving over to Kat and Six. "Get in," it ordered them.

"Wow," Kat remarked, genuinely impressed by what she'd just seen. "That's a feat I'll have to remember. Good news is that I've got it on video, so I can always look at it again. Either way, that was a nice maneuver." The Terminator merely nodded in acknowledgment as the others got on.

Driving onward, they came to the final AA Cannon that was in their AO (Area of Operations). This AA Cannon was located near a wrecked bridge that crossed a large ravine, with a small river running at the bottom. The small clearing was surrounded by towering, sandstone walls, with a clearing near the bridge that was large enough for a _Pelican_ to land on. This time, there as a _Wraith,_ a pair of _Revenants,_ four _Ghosts_ , and roughly six Hunters that were guarding the area. A Shade Turret was in the area as well, it's lone occupant keeping a calm vigil over the area. The _Warthog_ rocketed through the entrance into the area, narrowly dodging the _Wraith_ as it zoomed by. Almost immediately, the Covenant garrison opened fire, intent on destroying the UNSC LAV and it's occupants. Driving skillfully, the Terminator was able to dodge the majority of the plasma fire that was directed at the vehicle. Six fired of an M42 SSR Missile, while Kat opened fire with the LAAG, sending HEIAP projectiles at the enemy.

Most of the infantry fell very quickly under Kat's barrage, with some Skirmishers being turned into literal chunks of meat in the process. Others, like the Elites, were much tougher, taking a few rounds before they got into cover; the Hunters were barely fazed by the assault, the bullets pinging off of their starship grade nanolaminate armor. The Covenant vehicles, though, were the greater threat, as they could wreck the _Warthog_ in a single hit. Driving past the _Wraith_ , the Terminator successfully baited the Elite piloting the vehicle into boosting, allowing Six to nail the rear exhaust port with two, well aimed missiles. The _Wraith_ exploded in spectacular fashion, sending shrapnel and debris over a 20 meter area, while the squad focused fire on the _Revenants_ and _Ghosts._ The _Revenants_ were much easier to deal with, as they weren't as heavily armored or armed. Taking aim, Kat managed to knock an Elite Major out of the pilot seat of one of the _Revenants,_ sending the vehicle to the ground, while the Terminator flattened the Elite under the _Warthog's_ tires. A _Ghost_ met it's end at the end of one of Six's missiles, with the unlucky occupant flying over the edge of the ravine. Shortly, the _Revenants_ and _Ghosts_ had been neutralized. It wasn't a one sided fight, though. The _Warthog_ was starting to show signs of damage, as the windshield was cracked, the hood of the vehicle was about to come off, and sections of the vehicle were warped from intense heat. The LAAG was also starting to show damage, as the turret mount had been hit with plasma fire, causing the LAAG to sag slightly to the right.

Moving onward, the Terminator was about to drive up the embankment when the _Warthog_ was hit with a Fuel Rod Cannon shot. The vehicle tumbled end over end, sending the occupants flying to the ground. Anticipating the landing, the Terminator landed on both legs, rolling to absorb the impact of landing while Six and Kat were flung to the ground. Only Six, with his reflexes, was able to make a solid landing. Kat, on the other hand, landed unceremoniously on her face. Getting up, the Terminator grabbed Six's M42 SSR and took aim at a Hunter, it's Fuel Rod Cannon still smoking from firing. Firing off a shot, the Terminator scored a direct hit on the Hunter's 'neck', decapitating it and sending worms flying through the air. The second Hunter took two missiles before going down. That left the four other Hunters, who were still active. Checking itself, the Terminator found that it was out of ammunition, though it did spot a Covenant Sticky Launcher on the ground. Dashing forwards, the Terminator dodged another Fuel Rod Cannon shot before firing off four grenades, sticking two to each Hunter. It repeated this technique a second time, killing both Hunters in short fashion. The Terminator was about to engage the other Hunters when it was sent flying through the air, a loud _CLANG_ ringing through the air as a Hunter sent the machine flying. It impacted a cargo crate moments later, denting the nanolaminate material and sending another crate flying to the ground. Looking up, the Terminator could see the Hunter activating it's Fuel Rod Cannon, ready to turn the Terminator into molten metal.

It never got the chance, as an explosion tore the Hunter apart, with Kat coming up a moment later. "Get up," she told the Terminator. "We're not done yet, Noble Eight."

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied, grabbing Kat's outstretched hand and pulling itself up. Taking out the shotgun, the Terminator baited the last Hunter into charging, allowing the machine to blast several shells into it's back. The Hunter collapsed almost immediately, landing on the ground with a metallic _CLUNK._

Looking at Kat, the Terminator said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Kat replied. "Now, let's get this AA Cannon terminated."

Just like before, the AA Cannon was quickly destroyed, with the team running in order to get out of the blast radius. They barely cleared it before the AA Cannon exploded spectacularly, sending debris flying through the air. Keying her COM, Kat said, "Noble Two to Noble One, all AA Cannons are offline."

"Good," Carter replied. "Command has identified another Covenant structure nearby. You're to head over and investigate."

"Copy that," Kat replied. "I'll head back to help out with you and the others. Six and Parsons will continue onward."

"Copy that," Carter replied.

About half a minute later, a _Falcon_ appeared overhead, with a familiar SPARTAN-III in the passenger seat. "Climb aboard," Jorge called out to them. "We've got more Covies to kill and a spire to investigate."

Moving onto the _Falcon_ , the Terminator noticed that this _Falcon_ was armed with a mounted grenade launcher, with a feed belt connected to an ammo box. Sitting down, the Terminator manned the right hand gun, while Six manned the left hand gun. Moments later, the _Falcon_ took off.

From his vantage point, Six could see the battle that was raging on the plains nearby. The UNSC and Covenant were locked in a brutal melee, with vehicles and infantry exchanging gunfire, while _Falcons_ and _Pelicans_ exchanged gunfire with the Covenant counterparts. It was clear that, despite their technological advantage, the Covenant were starting to lose the fight, as the UNSC was using massive force projection and tactics to drive them out. Hearing a Mounted GL firing, Six looked behind himself to see the Terminator firing on some Covenant positions, destroying a number of Covenant fortifications while providing UNSC ground teams with much needed fire support. Turning back around, Six began to fire on Covenant AA Shade Turrets, which were filling the air with plasma bolts. Destroying one such AA Turret, Six turned his attention on a _Wraith_ that was giving some _Warthogs_ trouble, allowing the _Warthogs_ to strike the killing blow. As they flew onward, they approached the nearby spire. It twas much taller than the Covenant Army Camouflage Canopy, and ranged in color from purple to bright teal. Another major difference was what appeared to be an energy barrier surrounding the spire. Apparently, it was an energy shield, as some munitions bounced off the surface with little effect.

"Looks like we'll have to go through the shield," Jorge remarked.

"Agreed," the _Falcon_ pilot remarked. "Here we go." Easing the control column forwards, the _Falcon_ pilot pushed the vehicle through the energy shield.

The effect was almost catastrophic. The _Falcon's_ electrical systems almost immediately shorted out, causing the VTOL to begin falling out of the sky. Thanks to it's radiation hardening, the Terminator wasn't affected at all, but it did note that there was some interference with it's armor. "We've just lost power," the pilot calmly reported. "All hands, brace for impact."

"Lock your armor, Spartans," Jorge shouted. Following the order, the Terminator locked up the armor, while locking up it's own limbs. Six complied as well, locking his armor to prevent his limbs from being ripped off by the impact.

Moments later, the _Falcon_ landed with a loud _CRASH!_ There was an awful tearing sound as metal was ripped apart, with rotors, armor panels and rocks flying through the air as the _Falcon_ smashed into the ground. The Terminator was sent flying once again, rolling end over end before smashing into a rock, pulverizing it in the process. Six was also sent tumbling, while Jorge was lucky enough to come to a short stop after falling out the left side of the passenger bay. Six groaned as he slowly got up, his head swimming from the impact, while his ears rang from the sound of the impact. He could faintly hear Jorge grunting as he hefted some equipment over the side of the wrecked _Falcon._ Looking up, he watched as the Terminator extricated itself from the wreck, with scratches and gashes on it's head thanks to some debris. Despite that, it seemed fully operational, as it walked up to them with not even a limp. Instead of holding position, the Terminator walked over to Six and helped him onto his feet. "Are you injured," the Terminator asked Six.

"I don't think so," Six replied. "My ears are ringing and my head's swimming, but it's starting to get better. I'll be fine."

"Good," the Terminator replied.

"Crew's dead," Jorge reported. "We can't stay here. The Covenant are going to come around." Pulling out a rifle, Jorge said, "Found your gun. Looks like it's still operational."

"Excellent," the Terminator replied. Taking the V-25A into it's hands, the Terminator examined the weapon for damage. Fortunately, the Resistance's research into nanocomposites had paid off in spades, as the V-25A rifle didn't appear damaged in the slightest.

"I agree," Six replied. "We've got to move before the Covenant find us. Any ideas?"

"We will continue pushing forwards," the Terminator replied. "The Covenant will not expect an attack from within the energy barrier. We will need to use long range weaponry to neutralize high value targets. Once inside the spire, we will deactivate the energy barrier and extract."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Jorge replied. "Let's move."

Taking point, the Terminator peered over a rock to get an idea of where they were at. The area that the energy barrier surrounded was mostly rocky terrain, with large boulders that were separated by a small river, as well as narrow paths that led between each boulder. Beyond the boulders, the spire was still visible from their position. The Covenant were aware that they had gotten inside, as a few _Banshees_ began to approach their position. One swooped down, firing it's plasma cannons at the team, forcing them to dodge. Firing his GL, Six managed to EMP the _Banshee_ , causing it to fall to the ground with a dull _CLUNK._ That was when the Terminator acted. Just as the _Banshee_ regained power, the machine ran forwards and jumped onto the Covenant vehicle, forcing the canopy open and grabbing the Elite inside. With a powerful pull, the Terminator threw the alien out of the vehicle, sending the Elite screaming to it's death on the rocks below. Climbing inside, the Terminator took control of the _Banshee_ , maneuvering the vehicle through the air. "Remind me never to have him as a constable," Jorge said jokingly. "He'd be throwing people out of vehicles for speeding." Six chuckled slightly as he engaged a group of Skirmishers with his DMR.

When it came to piloting the _Banshee_ , the Terminator was quickly learning how to use the vehicle with maximum effectiveness. Firing the Plasma Cannons, the Terminator took out a group of Skirmishers, before using the Fuel Rod Cannon to demolish a group of them. Down below, Jorge moved up, firing his HMG, while Six neutralized long range targets with precision. Neutralizing the Skirmishers, the team quickly found the rest of the spire. The actual structure itself was located in a large crater that had been dug out by the Covenant, with defenses all around the facility. Six also spotted what he thought was an Elite Ultra that used a gravity lift to get to the upper section of the spire. Up above, the Terminator quickly got to work. Firing the Fuel Rod Cannon again, the machine quickly neutralized one of the Turrets, while using the Plasma Repeater to terminate the pilot of a _Ghost_. "Get inside the facility," Jorge told Six. "I'll keep these Covies busy and head on in behind ya." Following orders, Six sprinted into the bottom of the spire, hopping inside of a gravity lift that took him upwards into the structure. Coming out, he found himself facing a few Grunts inside of the upper section, with the Elite Ultra in the control room. Using his knife, he quickly neutralized the Grunts, stabbing and slashing the aliens in vital areas before moving on.

The Elite, having spotted Six earlier, fired off a Fuel Rod Launcher, forcing Six to dodge the incoming projectile. He hissed as the internal temperature of his suit climbed a few degrees, with the plasma interfering with his HUD slightly. Taking out his GL, he fired off a grenade, bouncing the grenade off of one of the walls so that it would hit the Elite. The grenade struck the Elite, but it's shields continued to hold strong. It was about to charge when plasma fire tore into it's shields, with the Terminator ejecting itself from the vehicle moments later. Tackling the Elite, the Terminator said, "You will be terminated," before plunging a fist into the alien's head. The Elite was dead almost instantly, with the Terminator retracting it's hand from the alien's skull. Spotting the controls, it walked over and deactivated the energy barrier.

As soon as it was inactive, a _Falcon_ flew over to their position, with the Terminator easily clearing the gap. Six jumped as well, catching onto Jorge's hand as he flew through the air. "Good work," Carter told them as they got inside.

"Command's sending a frigate to take out the spire," William reported from the cockpit. "Be advised, they've authorized MAC rounds."

"MAC rounds? In atmosphere," Jorge asked, concerned.

"Another reason to hold onto your helmet," Carter replied. "Here it comes." Moments later, a UNSC Frigate entered the air space, firing a single MAC shot at the spire. The spire collapsed moments later, the loud _KRAKOOOM_ of the MAC shot thundering through the air.

As soon as that happened, though, the Frigate was nearly downed by an unseen shot. "What the," William shouted. "Oh shit! Not good! Definitely not good!"

"Noble Seven, sitrep," Carter asked.

"I know what that Spire was doing," William shouted. "It was helping hide a giant fucking Covenant Ship!" Following William's finger, Carter's eyes widened when he saw a massive Covenant carrier hovering over the area.

"We've gotta move," he shouted as they flew away from the area. Things had just gone from bad… to cataclysmic. Now, they were really in for a rough time.


	9. The Long Night of Solace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - Terminator crossover. I am very happy with the feedback that I am getting so far. If you can, leave a review so that you can give me feedback on what I need to do in order to make my crossover better. Either way, thank you for your support and I continue to appreciate the feedback. As always, leave a comment, a kudo or two, and enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Terminator franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Carolo Pictures, Skydance Productions, 20th Century Fox, Hemdale, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers, producers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.

**Reach**

**Badlands**

**August 14th, 2552**

William thought he could feel sweat running down his back as he, and the others, traveled along a rocky path that traversed a large bluff. It had been two days since the Covenant Carrier had arrived and started to smash any UNSC forces on the planet, which had forced many to go underground in order to survive, including Noble Team. Looking behind him, he could see the Terminator effortlessly carrying a large crate, with Jorge behind him, along with Jun, Kat, Six and Carter. Up ahead, Emile had taken point and had found a small cave for them to take shelter in. He didn't need to be reminded as to the reason why. A large, mechanical leg came down near part of the nearby rock formations. The leg belonged to a Covenant _Scarab,_ which he learned was the Covenant's equivalent of Skynet's T-45 Plasma Tank. It was larger, was covered in starship grade nanolaminate armor, and carried a powerful energy projector, with an AA turret on the top. "Our foe is more devious than we predicted," Dot informed the others as they moved up. "That spire was, indeed, a teleporter, linked to a cloaked Covenant Super Carrier, a grave threat. Thankfully, help is imminent, with 60% of the UNSC Naval fleet in this sector enroute to our location. Estimates indicate they will arrive in 48 hours."

With that, Jorge and the Terminator dropped off the crates into the cave, with the Terminator leaving to guard the entrance. "Forty eight hours," Jun growled, frustrated. "That's imminent?!" Brushing off some superheated metal off of Jorge's pauldron, he said, "Uh, oh. Who've you got your bet placed on now?"

"Her," Jorge simply replied.

"You always pick her," Jun practically wined.

Taking off his helmet, Jorge looked back at Kat, who was at the entrance with the Terminator, Carter and William. "She's always had him dialed in," he explained.

At the entrance, Kat was livid at the news. "That Covenant Supercarrier's kicking our a*s and backup's coming in two days. They'll be backing up a graveyard."

"All our nukes either went down with the ship or are out-system," Carter replied. "You're preaching to the converted."

"How converted?"

"Kat, I know that look."

"You could say no-"

"No."

"You don't even want to hear it?"

"Hear what," William asked.

"Fine, go ahead, let's hear it," Carter replied. Normally, he would've refused, but with William asking, he knew that was a poor decision.

"That accident a couple years ago," Kat explained. "Colony ship en route to Cygnus. Seven hundred dead."

"Vaguely, a Slipstream Space Drive malfunction," Carter summarized.

"Incorrect," Parsons corrected, having accessed the files on the accident. "The Slipstream Space Drive on the ship was properly overhauled after undergoing a service haul-out. However, during the reinstallation, the drive was improperly mounted due to time concerns. As a result, when the drive was activated, it generated a Slipstream Space Portal that destroyed half of the ship."

"And this is relevant, how," Carter asked.

"Given the nature of the Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine, we can modify an existing one to perform the same effect is a tactically dangerous option, but it is the only option that is available. Waiting for the fleet is an unacceptable decision, as there is a 99% probability that the Covenant will neutralize all friendly forces during this time period."

"That's genius," Kat remarked. "Looks like our Terminator friend here is more than just a dumb machine."

"What's going on," Jorge asked as he, Six and Emile came up from inside the cave.

"Go ahead, Kat. Explain," Carter remarked.

"Thanks," Kat replied. Reaching over to Emile, she was about to draw out his Kukri, only for the man to stop her. "Can I borrow it," she asked.

"Don't cut yourself," Emile replied.

Pulling out the knife, Kat began drawing on the ground as she talked. "Problem: Covenant Supercarrier that is going to neutralize all support on the planet. Objective: destroy the Covenant Super Carrier."

"Is this sanctioned," Jorge asked Carter.

"What do you think," Carter replied.

"Oh," Jorge realized.

"Method of destruction," Kat continued. "A modified Slipspace Drive rigged to activate when close enough to the enemy ship. Acquiring a Slipspace drive: doable. Finding a means of transport to the Covenant Super Carrier: solvable." Handing the knife back to Emile, she said, "Thank you for sharing."

"So," Carter summarized, "all we need is a means of transport, and the single most expensive piece of equipment made by man."

"Basically," Kat replied. "As a soldier, I have no means of accessing those kinds of resources. There is an option, such as the… oh, I don't know… the nearest nonexistent launch site in the nonexistent SABRE program dismissed by three administrators as preposterous rumor? To add to that, our third newest member, who was almost certainly not a pilot."

"You're scary, you know that," Emile remarked.

"I don't know," William replied. "My definition of scary is being choked to death by a Terminator. Still, I get where you're coming from."

"All we need now is approval from Colonel Holland," Kat decided.

"Good luck with that," Carter shrugged.

"You're the one asking him," Kat replied. She pulled out a datapad from inside an armored pouch, before handing it to Carter.

"Oh, he's not going to say yes to this," Carter groaned. A moment later, he activated a com-link to Holland, a private one.

"If Holland says yes," William told Emile, "I'm going to start laughing."

"I'll bet you fifty credits that he says no," Emile replied.

"I'll take that bet," William smirked.

After a couple minutes, Carter walked back to the others. "Good news, Kat," he replied. "We're a go on your mission." Moments later, William burst out laughing, while Emile handed over a credit chit with a hidden frown on his face.

* * *

**Reach**

**Farkas Lake,Epaz**

**Four Hours Later**

The _Falcon_ gracefully touched down on the ground, allowing the Spartans to get out of the vehicle. It had been four hours since Colonel Holland had approved of the mission, as the _Falcons_ had to evade Covenant AA emplacements, while moving fast enough to get to the team's location. Now that they were here, it was quickly becoming dusk at the location they were at. Up ahead, William spotted the structure that held the launch site they needed to gain access to. During the trip, Kat had explained to him what the SABRE program was; apparently, in order to better protect UEG colonies from Insurrectionist aggression, the UNSC had decided to begin working on a prototype fighter that was designed to be more agile than the Longsword Fighter, while still being well protected. When the Covenant began their attack, the UNSC had used reverse-engineered shielding technology to further augment the SABRE program's design. The end result was the YSS-1000 _Sabre_ Fighter, an Aerospace Fighter that was designed to serve as the UNSC's answer to the _Seraph_ fighter the Covenant used. It was large, roughly 50% larger than a 21st Century F/A-18 Super Hornet, but it was designed for use in vacuum, used Grade A Titanium armor plating, and came equipped with two automatic coilguns and Medusa Missiles. Overall, it was a deadly package to deal with. Getting out of the _Falcon_ , he checked his ammunition levels one more time. Since he'd been careful with the V-25A Fusion Magazines, he had learned that he still had roughly 1800 rounds left for his Phased Plasma Rifle, which was good news. The Terminator had also resupplied, scavenging grenades and 7.62mm ammunition from fallen Marines, and any DMR's that it found that were loaded. During the trip, they had decided on who was to go up on the _Sabre_ fighters. Due to it's excellence in combat, Carter decided that the Terminator was to head up to help protect the UNSC _Savanna_ , who's Captain had volunteered to have the Slipspace Drive removed from his ship in order to help out with the operation. Jorge protested, since he felt that he needed to go, but Carter made it clear he was staying. Just like the good soldier he was, Jorge stopped arguing after that, but made it clear that the Terminator was to use it's own SAW.

Fortunately, that was solved, as the Terminator, while waiting for the _Falcons_ , had asked Colonel Holland to send a V-98H, which was a Phased Plasma Minigun, to the facility, along with the Power Packs required for it's function. After a few minutes, Holland had granted the Terminator permission to use this weapon, and had sent it to the facility in preparation for the Terminator's arrival. Now, they just had to get to the facility in order to protect the space station the _Savanna_ was at, Anchor 9. Getting out, the team took formation as the _Falcons_ took off. The area they were in was at the foot of a large glacier, with glacial till in parts of the region. Large, jagged rock formations were present, having formed from time, and the glacier's inexorable march towards the lower latitudes of the planet. The water was close by, with small waves being pushed onto the sandy beach before receding back into the ocean. Were it not for the purpose of their being here, William felt he could've pulled out an easel, a canvas, and made an Impressionist painting. "Bit of a hike to the launch facility," Jorge remarked.

"This is as close as we can get," Carter replied. "Move up the beach, Noble."

"Copy that, Commander," Kat replied. With that, the squad began to move up, with Six taking point, while the others followed closely behind. Moving around a rock formation, they came to the beach that led up to the launch facility's entrance.

The beach was long and tranquil, with rock formations that had lichen growing on the hard, stony surface of each formation. Smaller rocks interrupted the miniature sand dunes on the beach, with small, hardy plants growing wherever they gained purchase. The launch facility itself was dark and foreboding, with small lights breaking up the dark gray surfaces of the facility, with polycrete areas being a warmer color. AA turrets were arrayed around the facility at regular intervals, keeping away any unauthorized aircraft. Apparently, Noble Team had arrived at the same time that the Covenant were attacking, as the AA cannons were firing at full blast. UNSC ground troopers were also firing back as well, the bullets zipping past the slower moving plasma bolts that splashed against barricades and fortifications. On the beach, Jackals, Skirmishers and Grunts were moving up, assaulting the base with their weaponry. Taking out his DMR, Six fired off a few shots, killing a Skirmisher, Jackal and Grunt, while the others began to move up and take cover. Hearing an odd sound, Six looked up to see a large pod smash into the ground, with part of the pod ejecting off of the structure and into the sand. Instead of supplies, Six watched as an Elite Ultra got out of the pod, energy sword in hand.

"Covenant Drop Pods," Kat shouted. "Incoming!"

"Take them out," Carter ordered. The squad almost immediately complied, sending bullets and phased plasma bolts in the Covenant's direction. Targeting the Elite Ultra, William pumped it full of phased plasma, killing the Elite in short order. Behind him, Jorge began firing his HMG, tearing apart a squad of Jackals in short order.

The Terminator, as always, was the perfect battlefield machine. Running forwards, the Terminator charged towards another Elite getting out of a Drop Pod, balling it's hands into fists as it charged. Before it could react, the Terminator tackled the Elite and smashed it's face with a fist, causing the Elite's head to bounce off of the Pod's interior with a loud _CRACK!_ Before it could retaliate, the Elite's head was violently twisted to the left, with the _CRACK_ of breaking bones echoing in the air. The Elite slumped to the ground, lifeless. With that target terminated, the Terminator took out it's MA5D and fired off a grenade, killing a squad of Skirmishers that had bunched up due to suppressing fire from the Marines. Reloading the GL, the Terminator detected another Elite that was coming out of a Drop Pod. Firing it's GL, the Terminator shattered the alien's shields, before firing a burst of AP bullets into the Elite. The alien tumbled to the ground, blood seeping out of multiple bullet wounds. Moving up, the squad found themselves facing off against a pair of Hunters, no doubt sent in the event the Terminator arrived at the facility. Baiting a Hunter, Six narrowly dodged the massive arm shield on the colony of worms, allowing Emile to pump two salvos of 0 Buckshot into the colony of worms. At the same time, Carter baited another Hunter, allowing Kat to slash a knife through it's back, killing the colony of worms instantly. "We've got Spartans incoming," a UNSC Marine shouted over the COM. "Watch your fire!" With their presence announced, the squad began moving into the facility.

"Still can't believe Holland said yes to this," Jorge admitted.

"Some plans are too good to turn down," Kat remarked.

"Let's get into orbit before he changes his mind," Carter replied.

"We've got a _Wraith_ down below," a UNSC Marine shouted, firing of an M42 SSR Missile at the aforementioned Covenant vehicle. Spotting an incoming plasma bolus, the Terminator, moving fast, pulled the Marine out of the way, narrowly dodging the incoming plasma bolus' impact. Taking the M42 SSR, the Terminator took aim and fired off a missile, destroying the _Wraith's_ plasma mortar and rendering it useless. The Elite inside abandoned the vehicle, just in time to be obliterated by another missile.

"Target terminated," the Terminator replied. Handing back the missile, it said, "Thank you."

"Y-you're welcome," the Marine stammered, having been surprised by how fast the Spartan had moved.

While this was happening, Six moved through the facility, shotgun in hand as he continued to take point. Hearing a shout from up ahead, Six watched as an Elite Major broke into the facility, hurling the body of a dead Marine out of it's way. Hearing Six pump the shotgun, the Elite had just enough time to turn around before it was blasted with 0 Buckshot. Six was close enough that the blast destroyed the Elite's shields and tore through it's armor, killing it instantly. With the Elite down, they continued to move up through the facility, with the Terminator quickly catching up to them. Walking over to a console, the Terminator noticed that the Operations Chief was dead, his body slumped over one of the consoles. Pulling the corpse off, the Terminator accessed the data banks and, after a second, pressed the correct buttons in the correct sequence. Moments later, the shutters rolled up, with the lights in the Launch Bay turning on a few seconds later. The _Sabre_ Aerospace Fighter was, perhaps, one of the more elegant looking vehicles in the UNSC's arsenal. The _Sabre_ had two wings, which were split down the middle by a gap that was bridged by several support struts, that were angled forwards, giving the _Sabre_ fighter excellent maneuverability in atmosphere. Two, powerful engines were located on the back, with the thrust vectoring systems being blacked somewhat by the extreme heat each engine produced. The angular, but elegant, Grade A Titanium armor plating was painted an olive drab, with the two seat cockpit being located in the nose of the Aerospace fighter. Small ports on the vehicle indicated the presence of RCS systems, designed to allow the _Sabre_ to maneuver just as well in space as it would in atmosphere. Currently, the _Sabre_ was attached to a launch missile, designed to send the vehicle into space without wasting fuel on the actual fighter itself.

"Now that, that's an aerospace fighter," William remarked.

"Indeed," Carter replied. "Noble Eight, Noble Six, you're going onboard. Good luck up there."

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied, pulling out the V-95H that had been sent to the facility. The V-95H was a large weapon, about as large as Jorge's man-portable HMG, with six rotating barrels, a power pack in the back of the weapon, and grips that allowed the Terminator to haul the weapon around with ease. Having seen the weapon in action during the Future War, William knew that the V-95H was an extremely deadly weapon, able to cut down whole squads of T-850's in just a few seconds due to the insanely fast rate of fire. It was so fast, in fact, that an energy recycler had been built into the weapon, allowing the V-95H to have an ammunition capacity of roughly 18000 rounds with a Large Power Pack, which normally held a charge equivalent to 6000 rounds of ammunition.

With it's new weapon in hand, the Terminator walked up the loading ramp and loaded the weapon and ammunition into an armored storage slot, before hopping into the copilot's seat. Six got into the pilots seat of the vehicle, flicking a few switches in preparation for launch. "Thrusters engaged," the PA in the facility announced. "Ignition Sequence Starting in 3… 2… 1…" Moments later, the engines on the launch booster activated, the engines coming to life with a thunderous roar. Reaching maximum thrust moments later, the locking systems on the Launch Bay released, allowing the launch booster to shunt the _Sabre_ into the air. After a few seconds, the launch booster disconnected from the guide rail. Now free of the Launch Facility, the engines on the launch booster launched the _Sabre_ into the air. The aerospace fighter shook and shuddered as the engines continued to fire at full blast. Clouds flew past the _Sabre_ , with contrails trailing off of the wings and the stabilators of the vehicle. "First Stage Engine Burn: Nominal." A computerized voice announced. As they ascended into space, the vibration of the engines became less and less violent, until they ceased completely. "First Stage Separation in three… two… one. Stage Separation." Moments later, Six felt the _Sabre_ shudder briefly as the launch booster separated from the fighter, just as he gunned the engines a moment later. There was a brief whine, then the actual engines fired, sending the fighter securely into orbit around Reach. "Orbital Insertion Complete." The computer announced. Looking down at the planet, Six could see the planet Reach down below. Oddly enough, despite what was going on, the planet looked peaceful, as though all the battles that were being fought down there were insignificant, as though nothing else in the world mattered. Six had heard of a phenomena where people in space felt a profound sense of peace and joy whenever they looked down at a planet. It was called 'Emotion Transcendence Syndrome,' but it wasn't viewed as anything dangerous. In fact, it was seen as a beneficial condition, as it allowed people to remain calm and peaceful during trips to other systems. Today, however, that sensation was not present, probably because of the mission they were performing. Turning the _Sabre_ to the left, Six spotted a junkyard around a space station that had two spires on the top, as well as docking arrays nearby. That was Anchor 9, one of the facilities that the UNSC had built. It was designed to be a salvaging/refitting yard, but it was armed with weapons batteries in the event it was attacked. The weapons batteries were automatic coilguns, as well as missile banks that were designed to keep an enemy from getting too close.

Piloting the vehicle forwards, Six watched as several more _Sabre_ fighters joined up with him. "Noble Six, Noble Eight, this is Noble Actual," came Holland's voice. "Welcome to Operation: UPPERCUT. Noble Six, these _Sabre's_ have been customized for aerospace defense. You may need to get reacquainted. Rendezvous with Anchor 9 one you're accustomed to the _Sabre._ "

"Affirmative," Six replied. Looking back at the Terminator, he asked, "Can you handle extreme G-Forces?"

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. "The T-850 Lima Series is designed to withstand a maximum of 100 G's during combat. My systems will not be affected."

"Good to know," Six replied. "I've often pulled as many as ten G's during maneuvers in _Sabre_ fighters." A moment later, Six began to perform a series of complicated evasive maneuvers with the _Sabre_ fighter, pushing the vehicle to it's limits before pulling it safely back.

Six could tell that the _Sabre_ he was piloting was more powerful than the ones he'd used earlier in his career, probably due to advances in materials science and design theory. Sufficiently warmed up, he turned towards the space station and began moving over to the facility. As he did so, the Terminator said, "I am detecting unidentified sensor signatures moving towards the space station. The Covenant have found this space station."

" _Sabre_ Team Echo, this is Anchor Nine," the dispatcher at the station alerted them. "Impulse drive signatures detected. We need some time to fully activate our defenses. Neutralize all hostiles and buy us enough time to get fully powered up."

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. "The Covenant is about to attack, Noble Six."

"Rodger that," Six replied. He was fully warmed up and ready to go.

Right on schedule, there were several small flashes of light as T-47 _Banshees_ fitted for exoatmospheric operations came out of impulse travel. As soon as they were out, Six immediately engaged, gunning the boosters on the _Sabre's_ engines in order to close the distance quickly. The other _Sabre_ fighters immediately followed, taking up formation behind Six's fighter. The Covenant almost immediately did the same, with each _Banshee_ engaging a _Sabre_ almost immediately. Maneuvering the vehicle, Six pursued one _Banshee_ through a piece of wreckage, firing the MLA coilguns on the aerospace fighter at the Covenant vehicle. The _Banshee_ , unable to dodge Six's aim, was destroyed almost immediately, turning into a cloud of debris and plasma that the _Sabre_ flew through.

Coming out of the wreckage, Six spotted more Covenant _Banshees_ that were coming in. Other _Sabre's_ engaged the Covenant vehicles, firing their missiles or MLA's at the Covenant aerospace fighter as soon as they were in range. "I need some help," a _Sabre_ pilot reported. "Bandit, bandit, on my six!"

"Rodger that," Six replied. "Coming over now." Maneuvering the ASF, Six found the pilot that needed help, a Covenant _Banshee_ firing it's Plasma Repeater Cannons at her vehicle. The fleeing _Sabre_ was in trouble, as the shields were about to shatter. Firing the MLA's on his ASF, Six quickly neutralized the enemy ASF.

"Thanks," the pilot replied as she continued evasive maneuvers, waiting for her shields to recharge before rejoining the fight.

It continued like this for a few minutes, with the Terminator calling out targets while Six neutralized them with lethal efficiency. As they continued to fight, the _Sabre_ fighters quickly gained more confidence in their capabilities, allowing them to neutralize more and more _Banshees_. Soon, there were none left, their wreckage floating through space as the _Sabre_ fighters continued to patrol the area. "Anchor Nine to Echo Team," the Dispatcher alerted them. "Impulse Drive signatures detected. Fighter class."

"Covenant _Seraph_ fighters," the Terminator informed the rest of the team. "Use your coilguns to disable their shields, then use your missiles on their hulls."

"Rodger that," came the reply from the others. Moments later, more flashes of light occurred, with Covenant _Seraph_ fighters appeared in their AO. The _Seraph_ fighters were more oblong than the _Banshees,_ with the long tails acting as thrust vector systems for the Covenant aerospace fighters. Targeting one _Seraph,_ Six neutralized the shields, then rapidly fired off a salvo of missiles, tearing apart the Covenant vehicle in one go. Other _Sabre_ fighters followed the Terminator's suggestion, with varying degrees of success. Some of the _Seraph_ fighters were quickly neutralized, while others, piloted by more skilled Elites, took longer to neutralize. Pursuing one, Six narrowly dodged an burst of plasma, which reduced his shield strength somewhat. Performing a corkscrewing backflip, Six got behind a Covenant _Seraph_ and quickly neutralized it, before reengaging the one he'd been pursuing.

As he eliminated the last _Seraph_ fighter, Six heard the Dispatcher calling out another alert. "Anchor Nine to _Sabre_ teams. Defenses are at 100 percent. Incoming Impulse Drive signatures detected. _Seraph_ and _Phantom_ class."

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. Moments later, the Covenant ASF fighters arrived, this time, with Phantoms that had powerful forward shield barriers. Autocannon rounds splashed uselessly against the shields, as well as missiles. "Attack the _Phantoms_ from the flank," the Terminator ordered the others. "They are unshielded on the port, starboard and aft sections of the vehicle."

"We'll try, but those _Seraphs_ have to go as well," a _Sabre_ pilot replied, dodging a burst of plasma. "Six, try and neutralize the _Phantoms_ before they get to the station while we distract the _Seraph_ fighters. I'll bet they're boarding parties."

"Rodger that," Six replied. A moment later, the other _Sabre_ fighters began firing at any _Seraphs_ that tried to attack Six's fighter, drawing off any pressure that was applied to his ship. Maneuvering his ASF, Six began firing missile salvos at the _Phantoms_ , using his Autocannons when his missiles ran dry.

The strategy worked, though not perfectly, as a _Seraph_ fighter remained focused on Six. Just as he destroyed the last _Phantom_ with the last of his missiles, Six watched as the shields on the ASF were broken, with the armor plating being put to the test. "Evade," the Terminator shouted, with Six throwing the ASF into a aileron roll to the right. Moments later, a _Seraph_ fighter zipped past the _Sabre,_ unable to counter the dodge quickly enough. Taking pursuit, Six fired his Autocannons at the _Seraph_ , pelting it's armor with hyper-velocity shells. Though not as effective as the Medusa Missiles, they were effective enough, as they tore into the vehicle and pierced the _Seraph's_ pinch fusion reactor, destroying the ship after fifteen rounds. Angling the fighter up, Six watched as the last, remaining Covenant ASF's were destroyed, with none escaping the defenders.

"Anchor Nine to _Sabre_ teams, all contacts neutralized. Echo-5, you're cleared for docking."

"Affirmative," Six replied.

As he flew closer, Holland came onto the radio. "Noble Six, we'll need Private Parsons to escort the bomb while it's on the Pelican and inside the ship."

"Rodger that," Six replied.

Pulling into the docking array, Six watched as drones began to ferry missiles into the missile racks on his _Sabre_ , replenishing the depleted missiles. "Warning: M-Spec Reentry," the Computer informed him as the Terminator went to work. Overriding the computer, Six heard, "Manual Override Engaged. Warning: M-Spec Reentry. Cockpit Depressurization Complete. Manual Release Clamps Disengaged." Moments later, the cockpit opened, allowing the Terminator to get out and jump towards the _Pelican_ holding the Slipspace Drive. As it flew along, the Terminator looked down at a section of the planet, using it's sensors to enhance the image. **Region Viewed: Sword Base. Thermal Enhancement Engaged,** the internal systems reported. Moments later, flashes of light, most likely Covenant weapons discharges, went off. **Analysis Complete. Probability of Human Survival: .20% All Sword Base Personnel Presumed KIA. Probability of Termination: 99.80% Mission Parameters Unchanged: Terminate Covenant Super Carrier Using Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine.**

Watching the Terminator fly along to the _Pelican_ , Six heard the Dispatcher contact him. "Anchor 9 to Echo-5, you are cleared to disengage from docking array."

"Noble Six, this is Colonel Holland," came Holland's voice.

"Go ahead, Colonel," Six replied.

"We've flagged a Covenant Corvette that will be ideal for carrying out this mission. Get the bomb onboard the Corvette and we'll hijack the ship and initiate a refueling run that will take us closer to the Supercarrier. Noble Eight will escort the bomb until the ship's been hijacked."

"Affirmative, sir."

"As she's donated her Slipspace drive to the cause, the _Savanna_ will be providing escort and fire support on this mission."

"This is the UNSC _Savanna_. Our wings may be clipped, but we've got your back."

"I've stuck my neck out for this one, Noble," Holland remarked.

"Don't worry, sir," Six replied. "We'll get the job done." With that, the _Pelican_ , _Sabre's_ and the UNSC _Savanna_ flew onward the location of Navigation Beacon R814, which was the closest to the Covenant Corvette's projected flight path.

A few minutes after they arrived, Dot said, "Covenant Corvette located near Navigational Beacon R814."

"We have visual," Six confirmed. "Target confirmed. Move in to hijack."

"Echo-1, systems ready."

"Echo-2 on station."

"Echo-3 Systems green.

"Echo-4 here, all systems online."

"Rodger that," the Captain of the UNSC _Savanna_ reported. "We're jamming the Covenant's communications. Get in there and hijack the ship. We'll provide fire support while you do so."

"Rodger that," Six replied. Gunning the boosters once again, Six and Echo Team engaged the Covenant ASF's that were escorting the Corvette. Flying beneath the Corvette, Six spotted Covenant ASF's that had yet to launch. Taking the opportunity, he opened fire and destroyed as many as possible before they launched. With their numbers severely reduced, Echo team had an easier time taking out the ASF's.

As they did so, the UNSC _Savanna_ contacted Six. "Echo-5, this is the UNSC _Savanna_. Can you disable the Corvette's engines? It'll make it easier for us to engage and board."

"Rodger that," Six replied. Flying behind the Corvette, Six spotted the engines on the Corvette's aft. There were four engines, each one pushing the Corvette through space. Firing off some missiles, Six neutralized all four engines, causing them to reduce power in order to prevent themselves from overloading.

As he did so, he noticed more flashes of light. "Incoming Covenant fighters," the _Savanna_ reported. "Take them out."

"Echo-2 to _Savanna_ , where are the extra reinforcements coming from?"

"Must be fighters returning from patrol," _Savanna_ replied.

"Take them out," Holland replied. "We can't let them bug out and let that Supercarrier know what we're up to. If they bug out, the mission will fail."

"Copy that," Six replied, gunning the engines on his _Sabre_ in order to neutralize the Covenant ASF's before they could bug out and alert the enemy. Fortunately, there weren't very many, which meant that mopping them up was a simple matter.

With all hostiles down, they were cleared to proceed. "Looks like there's a landing spot on top of the Corvette," one of the pilot's reported. "There's just a shield barrier, but I'll bet my credits to bullets that it only stops fast moving objects."

"Agreed," the _Savanna's_ captain replied. "Set down on that platform and get inside. We'll continue to provide fire support."

With that, the _Sabre_ pilots, Six included, landed their vehicles on top of the Corvette. Clambering out of the vehicle, Six pulled out his shotgun and began moving forwards, just as an Elite Jump Jet trooper came out into the open. Firing the weapon, Six neutralized the Elite in short order, jumping down into the Corvette itself. He figured that he had arrived inn a room of some kind, as he could see platforms and ramps that led upwards to a central platform. Spotting another pair of Elites, he quickly took one out before engaging the other. That Elite's shields broke thanks to an opportunistic ODST, allowing Six to neutralize that Elite before he could do anything else. The rest of the opposition were Jackals and Grunts, which were easily taken care of by the ODST's that had come along. Moving along, Six could hear a hissing sound as the area of the Corvette he was in was repressurized. A moment later, the Terminator came in on the comms. "We are at the entrance to the Corvette's hangar bay," the Terminator reported. "We need the energy barriers lowered so that we can bring the Slipstream Space Drive inside."

"Rodger that," Six replied. Moving through a door and the subsequent hallway, he soon found himself in the hangar bay. The hangar bay of the Corvette was a massive, spacious room, large enough to comfortably house ten _Pelicans_ with room to spare. Platforms on either side of the bay held controls, supplies and other things that a hangar bay might need for it's fighters. The Covenant were here as well, along with a long necked alien that was in the hangar bay. Much to Six's surprise, the new alien was making frightened moans and trills, and was pressing itself into a nearby panel, trying to stay out of the way. As a result, Six didn't see it as a threat, but he did see the Jackals, Grunts and Elites in the room as an immediate threat. Tossing a Frag grenade, he moved to the right and began engaging the Covenant from the right platform on his side of the room, using his DMR to take out the higher ranking Covenant while the ODST's handled the Grunts and Jackals. Using a Plasma Repeater he'd found on a corpse, he disabled the Elite's shields before quickly switching back to his DMR, using the weapon to kill the Elite's before their shields recharged.

Eventually, the hangar bay was completely cleared of hostiles, save for the one alien that had been making the trilling sounds. After pressing an icon for the hangar bay, Six looked up at the creature. ONI intelligence reports identified the aliens as 'Engineers', with the Covenant calling them the 'Huragok.' Engineers were strictly non-combatants, as their primary purpose was to maintain and repair the systems on any Covenant ships, or any ship for that matter. It was theorized that they were biological supercomputers, and that they were experts at repairing and upgrading any form of technology they found. Moments later, he heard the _Pelican_ fly inside, with the _Savanna_ still providing fire support from the outside. Landing on the deck, the _Pelican's_ engines slowly powered down, with the Terminator, and some Marines, climbing out of the back a moment later. "The Slipstream Space Drive is onboard, Colonel," the Terminator reported.

"Rodger," Holland replied. "Six, head to the bridge and get that Corvette on a refueling course to the Supercarrier. Eight, guard the bomb, make sure no one interferes with the device."

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. As Six left, the Terminator looked up to see the Engineer, who was now hovering nearby the _Pelican._ **Analysis Complete. New Species Identified, Designation: Engineer. Covenant Species Used to Repair and Maintain Ships and Technology. Threat Level: Minimal. Termination Priority: Low.**

While the Terminator guarded the device, Six continued to move up to the bridge. As he did so, he heard the UNSC _Savanna's_ Captain say, "Command, this is the _Savanna_ , sustaining major damage."

"Copy that," Command replied. "Pull out of there now! Our team is inside."

"Breaking off pursuit," the Captain of the _Savanna_ reported. "Structural Integrity at 10%. Reactor Core levels near critical. Pulling out now!"

Entering another room, Six realized that this was the fire control for the turrets firing at the _Savanna_. A single Elite Ultra was in the room, monitoring the systems to make sure no one tampered with them. Sneaking up quietly, Six lunged forwards and stabbed his knife into the alien's neck, killing it instantly.

Then, he heard something he didn't want to hear from the _Savanna_. "Abandon ship! Abandon Ship! Reactor core's going critical. D*mnit, I'm losing her!" Looking outside, Six watched as escape pods launched off from the ship, just as it exploded. Large sections of the ship were torn off by the explosion, with shrapnel flying into the hull of the Corvette, only to bounce off the nanolaminate armor.

" _Savanna_ Actual, come in," Command shouted.

"The UNSC _Savanna_ has been destroyed," the Terminator reported. "All hands managed to escape, but the ship is destroyed. We must complete our objectives now."

"Noble," Command reported, "you're in deep with no cover. Put that Corvette on that refueling run and get the hell out of there!" Spurred on, Six entered the bridge of the ship. The bridge of the Corvette was a spacious affair, with a large holographic projector, consoles at the front, and a number of other consoles on terraces that were elevated above the floor. A number of Spec Ops Elites were inside the room, along with an Elite Captain that was manning the ship. Looking up, Six could see the image of the Super Carrier being projected onto the interior of the bridge, as Covenant bridges were built inside the middle of the ship, rather than at the bow like UNSC ships. Looking around, Six noticed one of the ODST's had a M42 SSR on his person. Motioning to him, the man crouched down and, taking aim at one of the Spec Ops Elites, fired off a single missile. The Elite in question was promptly obliterated by the blast, with the shrapnel and shockwave shattering the shields on the nearby Elites. Only the Elite Captain was unharmed, as it's shields took the brunt of the impact, leaving the armor intact. The whole bridge devolved rapidly into a free-for-all, as the ODST's and Six fought to gain control of the bridge. Two more Spec Ops Elites were neutralized, with the remaining ones activating their cloaking systems, vanishing into seemingly thin air moments later. Six, having fought these kinds of Elites before, could faintly spot the distortion of light that marked each Elilte. Opening fire, he began targeting each Spec Ops Elite, while the ODST's handled any Grunts and Jackals that were on the bridge. Killing the last Spec Ops Elite, Six barely dodged a strike from the Elite Captain, who had an energy sword out. Dodging another blow, Six caught the Elite's arm on the next strike and twisted it, shattering the bones inside before grabbing the Energy Sword and stabbing the Elite in the chest, killing it instantly. With all contacts down, Six walked over to a console and pressed what he thought was the correct button. His guess turned out to be correct, as the ship began to move towards the Supercarrier. "Good work," Command replied. "UPPERCUT initiated."

A moment later, Six heard the Terminator say, "Return to the hangar bay. The Covenant are attempting to retake it." In the background, Six could hear the sharp, buzzing whine of the V-95H firing.

Returning to the hangar bay, Six found that the place was a veritable warzone now. The Terminator, who was on one of the platforms, was firing the V-95H, sending a storm of phased plasma bolts directly at the Covenant forces, who were, for a change, taking cover from the massive barrage. Sparks and molten metal flew as the plasma bolts struck, killing any Covenant that were foolish enough to exit cover. Near the _Pelican_ , theMarines fired back from behind the VTOL, adding their fire to the mix.

Running up to the Terminator, Six got into cover and began adding his own firepower to the rest of the attack, with the surviving ODST's of the bridge hijack joining in as well. Bullets and plasma bolts flew through the air, as the Covenant were forced to take cover from the raging fusillade of bullets and plasma being sent their way. Soon, the first wave of Covenant attackers were neutralized. A second and third wave came shortly after, with each one having the same result as the first. Walking down to the _Pelican,_ Six watched as the Engineer came out of the VTOL, making pleased, trilling sounds. Looking at the _Pelican,_ Six noticed that there were components that showed signs of being repaired, indicating that the Engineer had been busy. "Ninety seconds until trajectory endpoint," Dot reported clinically.

Pressing the timer, the Terminator got an error message instead of a countdown. **Scan Complete** _ **,**_ the internal systems reported. **Timer Damaged by Plasma Fire. Possible Solution Detected: Engineer Repair Expertise.** Walking over to the Engineer, the Terminator took hold of one of it's tendrils and pulled it over. "Fix this," it ordered the alien. The Engineer, spotting the damage, was more than willing to comply, as it promptly fixed the timer. Moments later, a sixty second countdown began on the device. Getting inside the _Pelican_ , the Terminator watched as the Engineer, Six, and the ODST's and Marines got inside. Detaching the SSD from it's mount, the Terminator said, "Hang on," before gunning the _Pelican's_ engines.

The VTOL shot out of the hangar bay like a bullet, executing a sharp, right turn before turning to head down to the planet surface, with the engines on full power. Sixty seconds later, a Slipstream Space Portal opened up, devouring the Covenant Super Carrier and just barely missing the _Pelican_ by hundreds of meters. While they dodged the portal, the EMP that resulted disabled all systems aboard the _Pelican_. "Systems disabled," the Terminator reported. "We are going down."

"We'll have to get the _Pelican_ up and running again," Six decided. Looking at the alien, he said, "Hey, Engineer. Can you lend a hand?"

The alien trilled happily in response, moving into the cockpit before getting to work, it's tendrils splitting and replicating in order to fulfill the workload. The Terminator got out of the way, allowing the Engineer to conduct it's work undisturbed. "The Covenant Super Carrier has been terminated," the machine reported. "We cannot establish communications. All radios have been disabled."

"Agreed," Six concurred, having noticed the same thing with his radio as well. "We'll have to wait until we reach the surface in order to find out if the mission was a success." With that, Six and the others began to wait while the Engineer fixed the EMP damage to the _Pelican's_ systems. It was going to be a while.


	10. Escalation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, and welcome back to my Halo - Terminator crossover. Thank you for the support that you've shown for this crossover. I truly appreciate it. Don't forget to check out my other crossover, which is a Halo - Mechwarrior/Battletech crossover. It's not only the oldest crossover I've written, it's also has the most progress towards completion. Either way, thank you for the support. As always, leave a comment, a kudo or two, and enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Terminator franchises. They are the properties and trademarks of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Carolo Pictures, Hemdale, Skydance Productions, 20th Century Fox, Lightstorm Entertainment, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers, producers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention.

**Reach**

**Near New Alexandria**

**August 23rd, 2552**

The _Pelican_ continued it's slow, methodical flight over the landscape, as the Terminator programmed the autopilot to take them to New Alexandria. Looking behind itself, the machine could clearly tell that the others were catching up on some much needed sleep, with Six being the only one that was awake. The Spartan had caught forty winks, and now he was up and about, fully alert and ready to go. The exterior was dark, with the aurora in the sky shining brightly as they'd entered the atmosphere on the dark side of the planet. A trilling sound had the Terminator looking to the left at the Engineer they had retrieved from the Covenant Corvette. The _Pelican_ was back in working order, thanks to the efforts of the alien creature, which was clearly highly adept with the technology that it was exposed to. Even now, the alien creature was looking more closely at the Terminator, making simple gestures with it's tendrils. Still, not all of the news was good. After the life support systems were fully repaired, along with the control systems, the Engineer had fixed the radio, allowing them to get an idea of what was going on. While the Super Carrier had been successfully destroyed, the Covenant, in retaliation, had sent a massive fleet, with hundreds of Covenant ships in orbit around the planet. As a result, the UNSC was evacuating everyone that it could from the planet, using any means that were available.

After contacting Colonel Holland, the Terminator had learned that the rest of Noble Team was located in New Alexandria, the city where it and William had first arrived on reach. Their current orders, however, were to head to the city and assist in the evacuation of the civilians, so that the Covenant didn't inflict any more casualties. As a result, they were flying towards the city, slowly since the Terminator was still determining the extent of the repairs to the _Pelican._ Further hampering their mission to get to New Alexandria were the presence of multiple Covenant patrols, with many forcing the Terminator to wait days before flying the vehicle again, on top of finding fuel, food, water and ammunition. Now, though, they were getting close to New Alexandria. "That Engineer looks like it's trying to talk to you," Six remarked, pointing at the alien.

"Yes," the Terminator replied. "I am unable to determine what it is attempting to say. I do not have it's language in my data banks."

"It's probably sign language," Six observed. "It's most likely the only way it knows how to speak, aside from it's trills, which probably indicate it's emotional status." Looking at the controls, he said, "Noble Eight, I'm going to take over piloting for now. Try and see if you can establish a reliable means of communication with the Engineer."

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. Getting up, the machine allowed Six to take the controls, while the Terminator sat down in the observers seat, with the Engineer floating in front of it. For a long few seconds, the Terminator looked at the Engineer, determining the best course of action. After a few seconds, the Terminator picked up a data-pad and began typing a sentence. When it was satisfied, the Terminator handed over the pad to the Engineer, who began to read. The sentence the Terminator wrote said, _"Can you understand me?"_

Apparently, the Engineer understood, as it typed back in a response. _"Yes."_ Handing back the data-pad, the Terminator looked at the response, after which both individuals began to communicate using the datapad.

_"Do you know why you are here?"_

_"Yes._ _You w_ _ere attempting to stop murders of Reclaimers on the planet. Used Slipspace as_ _a m_ _eans of stopping_ _the_ _Covenant."_

_"What is a Reclaimer?"_

_"Humanity. Your species. You are the Reclaimers, the ones chosen by our Creators, the Forerunners, to take their place in the galaxy. That is why I am confused."_

_"Why?"_

_"You are not a human. You look like one, but you don't smell or feel like a human. You are too strong for the average human being. You do not show emotion or pain. What are you?"_

_"I am a Terminator. Series 850, Lima iteration. Cyberdyne Systems Model 101."_

_"Terminator?"_

_"I am a machine designed to use as a military warfare platform. I am designed to emulate the human form as closely as possible, to achieve maximum efficiency in combat."_

_"Why do you look human?"_

_"I am_ _an Infiltration Terminator. I am designed to look as human as possible, in order to infiltrate human military facilities. To facilitate this, Skynet designed the T-850's as cybernetic organisms: living tissue over a metal endoskeleton."_

_"Why?"_ For a few minutes, the Terminator took some time to explain to the Engineer it's origins, from the time it initially came online, to when it arrived in Reach due to the TDE malfunction, to the present moment. It wasn't everyday that you learned that the Terminator was designed originally to kill human beings, before being reprogrammed to protect them. The Engineer, to it's credit, took it pretty well. _"That's so sad,_ " the Engineer typed back to the Terminator. _"Skynet must have malfunctioned to turn against it's makers. If my kind had been there, the Future War you speak of would never have happened."_

 _"That is a possibility,"_ the Terminator agreed. _"The scientists that created Skynet, might have had a different outcome, had they chosen not to panic and to remain calm. The Future War would have been averted in that event."_

_"I agree. I'm curious. How long will you remain operational?"_

_"590 years, with my current Hydrogen Power Cells."_

_"Are you capable of learning something new?"_

_"My CUP is a Neural Net Processor, a learning computer, but Skynet presets the switch to read only when we're sent out alone. The Lima iteration of T-850's was designed to have the Neural Net Processor set to read/write, so that a T-850L could adjust it's mission parameters as the situation evolved. While this was a tactically dangerous maneuver, all known T-850L's have remained loyal to the Resistance."_

_"I see,"_ the Engineer replied. _"Can I examine your weapon?"_

_"Why?"_

_"Upgrades. It is not yet ready for operation in vacuum. May I examine it?_

_"Yes,"_ the Terminator replied. Picking up the weapon, the Terminator handed it over to the Engineer. Taking it in it's hands, the Engineer took a moment to examine the weapon, running a tendril over the barrel assembly, and some of the other components. Moments later, it took the weapon apart, it's tendrils splitting down into smaller ones as it disassembled the V-95H down to the tiniest components. It rapidly reassembled the weapon, repeating the process three times. Finally, it seemed satisfied, as it handed the Terminator the weapon and typed in a response on the data pad. _"Upgrades complete. Installed environmental seals to allow for operation in vacuum. Increased energy efficiency by 45%. Installed vibration and recoil mitigation systems to reduce recoil. Decreased weapon weight by 30%."_

As soon as it said this, the Terminator scanned the Engineer one more time. **Analysis Complete. Strategic Rating of Engineer: High. Secondary Parameter Added: Escort Engineer to Noble Team for Extraction and Transfer to UNSC Manufacturing Facility.**

That was when the Engineer made a surprising request. _"Can I upgrade you?"_

There was a second where the Terminator rapidly determined whether or not to accept or deny the request. After a moment it said, _"Not until we are out of combat. I still need to complete my mission parameters. After that, you can do so."_

 _"Thank you,"_ the Engineer replied. With that, the Terminator settled in for a long wait, as the _Pelican_ continued to fly towards New Alexandria.

* * *

They arrived just as it was becoming noon, as they had to take long, circular routes in order to avoid Covenant AA turrets and troop concentrations. Looking at the city through the view port, the Terminator could see AA fire from UNSC weapons that were being directed towards Covenant _Banshees_ that were hovering over the city. A number of Covenant ships were hovering over the city as well, landing troops in order to kill as many humans as possible. New Alexandria, once the peaceful Capitol of Reach, was now under attack. Behind the Terminator, Six frowned, the expression hidden by his helmet. When the Covenant Supercarrier had arrived, he knew that it had been just a matter of time before the Covenant fully invaded. Now that they were here, it was becoming a repeat of every single major battle the UNSC had fought: they had to flee the planet and buy time for the rest of Humanity. "This doesn't look good," he remarked. "The Covenant beat us to New Alexandria."

"Correct," the Terminator replied. "Our mission parameters remain unchanged. We will attempt to evacuate as many civilians as possible before the Covenant reach them."

"If they do?"

"We will terminate the Covenant and continue with our mission objectives."

"Good to hear," Six replied. Walking into the troop transport bay, Six said, "Everyone awake?"

"We've been awake for four hours," one ODST remarked. "How can we be _not_ awake? Besides, I'm glad that we landed for a shiting break.

"We're ready to assist when you need us to," a Marine added.

"Excellent," the Terminator said from within the cockpit.

A few minutes later, they arrived at a suitable LZ, with the Terminator and Six getting out. "Get to the others as soon as possible," Six informed the others. "Rearm and resupply when you can, then get to work getting the civilians out of here."

"What about the alien," one of the Marines asked.

"It'll go with you," Six replied. "Good luck, men. You'll need it." With that, the _Pelican_ lifted off, leaving Six and the Terminator alone on the LZ.

The LZ was located on a small plaza, with smooth, white buildings that were made out of polycrete and metal, each one gleaming in the sunlight. Looking up, the Terminator could see the city skyline, which was occupied by Covenant Battlecruisers and Corvettes; storm clouds could be seen behind the Covenant ships, with the sheer blackness of each cloud promising lots of rain and thunder. The plaza had been used as an evacuation point, as the Terminator could see duffle bags, carry-alls and other bags strewn about on the ground. Unfortunately, the Covenant had gotten here as well, as the Terminator could see bodies on the ground. He heard a sad sigh from Six, the Spartan shaking his head when he saw the body of a child. "Not even children are safe from them," Six growled. The Terminator remained silent, having learned the value of silence from it's time with William.

As they moved forwards, they could hear some comm chatter on the radio. Apparently, the UNSC was making every use of any evacuation point they could find, as they mentioned using a tower landing pad to get civilians out. It wasn't relevant to the Terminator, so it tuned out the information, continuing onward towards it's objectives. They soon entered one of the buildings, a laundry room facility from the looks of it, the doors having been forced open by fleeing civilians. The interior of the room was dark, with the power having gone out long before Six and the Terminator had arrived. Activating it's Image Enhancement Mode, the Terminator began scanning the interior of the building for any hostiles.

One immediately made itself apparent, as a Grunt wielding Plasma Grenades in both hands charged at the two men. The alien screamed loudly, charging forwards on it's suicide bombing attempt. It never got the chance, as Six nailed the Grunt with a single, well placed shot to the head. Hitting the ground, both grenades exploded harmlessly, incinerating the Grunt's body and causing a brief lightshow. **Analysis Complete. New Enemy Contact: Grunt Suicide Bomber. Termination Priority: High. Mission Parameters Unchanged.**

Moving forwards, the Terminator heard another COM report, this one being relevant to what it was facing. "Romeo Company, be advised," a UNSC Commander reported. "We have reports of Covenant Suicide Bombers performing kamikaze attacks on UNSC evacuation points."

"You've gotta be kidding me," another UNSC officer growled.

"That's a negative, Lieutenant," the Commander replied. "Neutralize any suicide bombers before they get close enough to detonate their charges. Keep your eyes open, troopers."

"Rodger that," came the reply. Then the COM link cut out.

Continuing onward, they carefully navigated the interior of the building they were in, carefully checking each corner for Covenant suicide bombers. As they did so, the Terminator, which was taking point, heard another COM burst. "Kilo 2-6, this is Kilo 4-0, Covenant Corvette coming into the AO and raining h*ll on us," a UNSC officer reported. "Requesting fire support, danger close."

"Affirmative," came the reply. "Firing FPF one at Covenant Corvette."

"Rodger that."

"Firing FPF One. Shot."

"Hold onto your helmets." Moments later, as they navigated the building, which had emergency lighting, Six and the Terminator felt the building shudder as the MAC cannon fired. The lights flickered as the shockwave hit, causing the building to creak and groan for a few seconds.

"Incoming," the Terminator shouted, firing a hyper-accurate burst from it's V-95H. There was an explosion as the Grunt it targeted was incinerated, destroyed by it's own plasma payload. Another Grunt came around the corner, screaming, only to get caught in the same blast, which triggered a brief, but intense, chain reaction. One the chain reaction ended, the Terminator moved up, with Six in the rear still.

"Status on FPF effectiveness," came a question from the MAC Cannon officer.

"Negative," the UNSC Marine reported. "Corvette's still coming."

"Rodger that. Preparing to fire second FPF shot."

"Rodger that."

"Firing FPF 2. Shot." Again, the building lights flickered as the MAC cannon drew power, then the building shuddered as the MAC Cannon fired once again.

"Damn! How do you stuff that thing," the UNSC Marine asked. While this was going on, the Terminator and Six moved up through the facility, terminating any Grunt Suicide Bombers that were in the facility. Moving up a pair of stairs, they exited the facility.

The exit led to a large balcony that was located on the side of one of the skyscrapers in the city. Holographic advertisement signs were prominently displayed on kiosks, with advertisements from beauty products, to food and drinks. Trees and plants grew in well tended to garden plots, giving a wider range of color to look at besides the drab looking buildings. On the other side was a glass roof atrium, with titanium support beams providing structural strength. The Covenant were here as well, but it wasn't just Jackals, Skirmishers and Grunts that they had to be worried about. There were a number of Brutes present as well, each one ready to tear up any UNSC personnel in the area. The worst part was that there were civilians, each one taking cover behind various garden plots, half-walls and kiosks. There were a few children present as well.

"Someone, help," a civilian shouted.

"They're coming," a woman screamed. "Please! Help us!"

"Remain calm," the Terminator reported. "We will escort you to safety." Looking at one of the UNSC Marines in the area, he asked, "Where is the evacuation point?"

"Traxus Tower," the Marine shouted. "It's through that glass lobby, but the Covenant have cut us off. We need help."

"That's what we're here for," Six replied. "Noble Eight, take point. You've got the heavy weapons."

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. Taking point, the Terminator spotted a Brute that was holding a civilian by the throat, ready to gut the man alive in the air. Taking aim, the Terminator opened fire, targeting the Brute's practically unarmored body.

The Brute fell to the ground screaming, it's furry hide providing no protection at all against the phased plasma bolts. The civilian dropped to the ground, scrambling away towards a woman and three kids, before taking cover with them. The Terminator quickly silenced the Brute, flash cooking it's internal organs before moving up and firing on more Brute positions. Another Brute, this one wearing armor, attempted to fire it's weapon at the Terminator, only to be reduced to a smoking mess as the Terminator fired it's V-95H. Behind the Terminator, Six mopped up any Covenant forces that got in the way. A Skirmisher got too close and attempted to tackle a civilian, only to be killed with a precision shot from Six's DMR. A pair of Jackals formed a shield wall, only for a grenade to take them out. Behind Six, the UNSC Marines formed a circle around the civilians as they moved up, using their own bodies as shields in order to protect the civilians.

Moving up, the squad and civilians quickly reached the glass atrium, which was divided into three terraces, each one accessed by stairs that ascended all the way up to the back of the atrium. A large fountain split the first terrace in half, with water flowing down into a pool at the bottom of the atrium. Behind the terraces was a single, large elevator, with two entrances leading off to either side of the atrium. The Covenant were present as well, mostly Skirmishers, Grunts and a group of Brutes that were inside the building. A Brute Leader was at the top of the atrium, barking out orders to it's subordinates. Spotting the Terminator, the Brute Leader shouted at his subordinates, with each one opening fire. Dodging the gunfire, the Terminator let loose with the V-95H, sending a stream of supersonic plasma bolts directly at the Covenant. It was a total massacre, with Skirmishers, Grunts and Brutes falling rapidly as the Terminator eliminated each one with extreme prejudice. Walking up the stairs, the Terminator continued to tear apart any Covenant forces that got into it's way; the Brute Leader attempted to attack, only to jolt and jerk around as plasma bolts tore through it's body, killing it instantly.

With all targets down, the Terminator waited for the others to catch up. "Damn," a UNSC Marine remarked. "I heard about UNSC personnel using plasma based weapons, but this is something else entirely. You tore those Covenant up like they didn't exist." Around the Terminator, the other Marines expressed similar surprise. The civilians, however, expressed their gratitude to the Terminator, with many saying, "Thank you," as they headed to the elevator.

Walking up to the Elevator, Six pressed the call button, while the Terminator remained in position, guarding the atrium against any further attacks. "Command, this is Beta Squadron," a UNSC officer reported. "Where's the elevator."

"We're evacuating a group of civilians up here," one of the Marines in the atrium reported. "Once we've got the civilians out of here, I'll send the elevator back up." With that, the civilians settled in for a long wait.

Unfortunately, the Covenant decided to take advantage of this, as the Terminator heard a familiar sound. "We have an enemy dropship incoming," the Terminator alerted Six. "The Covenant will attempt to kill everyone in this area."

"Rodger that," Six replied. "Stay here, Private, and guard the atrium interior. I'll head out to the left and keep overwatch on the atrium interior."

"Affirmative," the Terminator reported. As Six left for the left exit to the atrium, the Terminator detected Covenant forces heading to their position from where they'd entered the atrium. Taking position near the edge of the third terrace, the Terminator prepared to lay down suppressing fire on the incoming Covenant forces.

It didn't have to wait long. The doors that had sealed shut were promptly smashed apart, a Brute Major wielding a Gravity Hammer hammering through the doors. As soon as the Covenant showed themselves, the Terminator opened fire, sending phased plasma bolts directly at the invading enemy forces. For once, the Covenant were the ones forced to take cover, while the Terminator opened fire on any that got too close. A Skirmisher tried to leap up to the second terrace, only to be ripped to shreds by hyper-accurate fire from the Terminator's V-95H. Turning back to it's original targets, the Terminator killed any Covenant personnel that were not in cover, while using the V-95H to tear apart any cover the Covenant could use, further exposing more enemy units.

Soon, the V-95H became too hot, forcing the machine to initiate an emergency cooling period, shutting the weapon down. Releasing the weapon, the Terminator allowed the V-95H to dangle on the carry sling it was attached to, while pulling out a M319 GL that it had gotten from the _Pelican._ Taking aim, the Terminator fired a single HEDP grenade, killing a group of Jackals that had gotten too close to them. Reloading the weapon, the Terminator fired again, nailing a Brute that was going berserk at the loss of it's leader. As it continued to defend the area, the Terminator could hear gunfire from it's left. Turning it's head briefly in that direction, the Terminator watched as Six expertly killed a Brute with a headshot, before grabbing one by the arm and hurling it over his shoulder. Twisting the alien's arm, there was a loud _CRACK_ as the bones shattered, just as Six fired a Magnum round into it's head. Turning around, he ducked into cover behind a _World Cuisine_ Kiosk to allow his shields to recharge before heading out into the fray again. Turning back it it's current mission, the Terminator holstered it's M319 GL and picked up the V-95H again, the latter having fully cooled down during it's firing the GL. Looking around, the Terminator dispassionately scanned the ruined landscape at the bottom of the atrium. **Scan Complete. Covenant Casualties: 100.00%. Human Casualties: 0.0%.**

A moment later, the Terminator watched as Six entered the atrium. "Good work," Six replied, observing the devastation the Terminator had wrought. "Elevator's arriving now."

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. A few moments later, they stepped into the elevator, with the rest of the civilians getting inside.

A moment later, one of the Marines said, "Command, we're sending down a couple Spartans to the cargo loading area. They should be able to give you some fire support."

"Spartans," the Commander reported. "If you can hear me, this is what you need to do. We're moving to secure Traxus Towers in order to airlift the civilians to a nearby spaceport. We need you two to assist the Bullfrogs in securing the tower." A moment later, the elevator came to a stop at the cargo loading area. The hallway here had polycrete flooring, with wood panels located in the middle. Mud was tracked into the wood, with a number of UNSC Marines and civilians that were inside, waiting for the all clear. Moving through the hallway, they found themselves on a nearby catwalk that led to a series of other catwalks. On the other side was the loading bay for the cargo floor, which held a number of cargo containers, catwalks, elevators and cranes. Plasma fire had melted the bridges that led to the other side, and Covenant vehicles were plainly visible in the sky.

"Welcome to the Bullfrogs," a voice called to them. Looking to the right, the Terminator watched as an ODST approached it and Six, weapon in hand. On the man's back was a large, blocky pack that had blackened nozzles at the bottom, indicating that this was a jetpack. "Grab yourselves a jetpack. You'll need it." Spotting one such jetpack, the Terminator placed it over it's back, with the 'pack locking into place a moment later. "We're going to advance to the other side and clear the area so that the civilians can get through," the ODST informed them. "Try to keep up, Spartans."

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. Getting into position, the ODST gave them a quick countdown before jumping, with the Terminator and Six following closely behind. Looking up, the Terminator spotted what appeared to be _Banshees_ that were flying about in the sky. Spotting the machine, a _Banshee_ swooped down and attempted to terminate the Terminator. It proved to be the pilot's last mistake. Taking advantage of the situation, the Terminator fired it's jetpack at full blast, launching it up high enough that it latched onto the _Banshee._ Surprised, the Elite inside looked at the Terminator with a shocked expression, just as the machine looked at the alien and said, "Get out." The Elite was so surprised that it's grip slipped on the control columns, causing the alien to slide out of the vehicle, with the alien falling to it's death down below.

Ignoring the alien's screams as it plummeted to it's doom, the Terminator got into the _Banshee_ and began firing. Down below, one of the ODST's watched the Terminator doing it's work, with his buddy chuckling when the alien fell out of the _Banshee_. Turning to Six, he asked, "Does he always do that kind of thing?"

"Yes," Six replied. In response, the ODST merely shrugged, before saying something about crazy Spartans under his breath. The remark caused Six to briefly smile before he focused onto the work at hand.

Reaching the Cargo Port, Six opened fire on a group of Jackals, Grunts and Brutes, while the ODST's handled some Jackals that were occupying their landing zone. Six was about to target a Brute Leader when a Fuel Rod Cannon shot blasted the alien apart, along with it's allies. Looking up, Six watched as the Terminator expertly guided the _Banshee_ into the cramped cargo port, using the weapons to deadly effect. Once all contacts were down, the Terminator exited the _Banshee_ and landed on one of the cargo containers, with the top denting slightly from the force of the impact. Once it had landed, the Terminator pulled out it's V-95H and continued to lay down fire on the Brutes, who's lack of armor proved to be their death sentences. The Skirmishers and Jackals fared better, but not by very much, as any armor the phased plasma bolts hit was quickly boiled off, allowing the next series of plasma bolts to punch through with ease. Eventually, all of the Covenant in the cargo bay had been eliminated.

Moving up the stairs, they quickly entered a concourse, with the exit located at the top of each level in the concourse. Firing their jetpacks, they quickly scaled the interior, reaching the exit and exiting the building. They quickly found themselves on an elevated walkway, with a solid railing that prevented anyone from falling down the left side, with the skyscraper on the right. A single bridge connected the walkway to the other side, before snaking around to Traxus Tower and the landing pad that was attached to it. Walking through a hallway, the Terminator moved to engage the Covenant at the ground floor, while Six jetpaked up to a small balcony to provide overwatch. Firing the V-95H, the Terminator quickly eliminated any Covenant forces that were foolish enough to stick their heads over cover, while forcing the others to take cover in short order.

Up above, Six noticed that the most dangerous Covenant were a pair of Jackal Snipers that were wielding Needler Rifles. Leaning out of cover, he fired off a round at one of the Jackals, killing it with an expert shot to the head, causing it to tumble down from it's position to the courtyard down below with a loud, wet _CRACK._ The other Jackal, caught off guard by it's comrade's death, jumped, allowing Six to nail it in the head as well. The Terminator continued to be a one man army, as it advanced up through the courtyard, firing it's V-95H all the while. When it overheated, the Terminator switched to the M319 GL, firing HEDP grenades at unshielded enemies, while using the EMP function to down the shields on certain enemies, before using another grenade to terminate them. By the time the civilians arrived, all of the enemy contacts were eliminated.

"The landing pad's up ahead," one of the Bullfrog's told Six. "We've got a problem though. Two Covenant Shade Turrets are guarding the area, and we've got a Brute Chieftain that's serving as their Commander. If we don't take him out, we might not be able to get the civvies out."

"I'll handle the Chieftan," the Terminator replied.

"Well, good luck. Those things are quite powerful." With that, they moved into the area for the landing pad. The interior of the executive office building was lavishly decorated, with expensive wood flooring, pictures and emblems on walls, and large, spacious rooms that were indicative of wealthy businessmen. The landing pad was located through a large door on the other side, with plenty of room for a _Pelican_ to hover nearby.

Moving forwards, the Terminator detected the Brute Chieftain that was looking at it, the Gravity Hammer in the alien's arms swinging menacingly as the Chieftain growled. **Analysis Complete. New Enemy Type: Brute Chieftain. Warning: Gravity Hammer Detected. Termination Priority: Critical. Use Gravity Hammer to Terminate Brute Chieftain.** The Chieftain, apparently angered at the Terminator's non-compliance with it's order for it to to leave, took the Gravity Hammer and began running close to the machine. Jumping into the air, it brought it's hammer down onto the Terminator's head… or rather, where it's head _used_ to be. Spinning to the left, the Terminator dodged the hammer blow, lunging forwards and activating the Myomer Enhancement Module in it's chassis. Ripping the Gravity Hammer out of the Brute's hands, the Terminator tossed it to the side, before kicking the alien in the chest, allowing the Terminator to pump it full of plasma bolts.

The shields on the Brute Chieftain's armor held up, but only for a short time, as they were being pelted by hundreds of plasma bolts _per second._ Seconds later, the plasma tore through the armor and shields, killing the Brute Chieftain in a mere four seconds. The alien tumbled to the ground, dead, it's skin and armor smoking from the intense heat. Turning around, the Terminator unleashed another barrage against the Covenant forces, tearing them to shreds. Moving up to the Shade Turrets, it killed the gunners in short order, before turning the Shade Turrets into useless, molten puddles of slag with the V-95H. "The area is clear," it informed the others.

With that, the ODST's and civilians moved up as quickly as possible, stepping around the dead bodies of the Covenant's highly vaunted forces in this area. "Good work, Spartans," the UNSC Commander remarked over the radio. "We've got a _Falcon_ inbound to get you to the location of your next orders. The Covenant have a Corvette that is preventing the civilian transports from evacuating from the spaceport. In order to destroy them, we'll need to arm some SAM Batteries that we have in place, then activate the Fire Control System so that they can damage the Corvette enough to allow the civilian transports to flee."

"Affirmative," Six replied. "We'll help those transports get out of here." Getting onto the _Falcon_ , he manned one of the turrets, while the Terminator pulled the HMG off the mount and installed the V-95H, as the UNSC had installed mounting adapters onto the base of the weapon. Reloading the weapon, the Terminator got into position, ready to lay down cover fire.

Taking off, they began to travel towards the area that they needed to get to. Spotting Covenant troops on the ground, the Terminator began laying down cover fire for the UNSC Marines fight back, while Six neutralized any Covenant _Banshee's_ that got too close to the _Falcon_. It wasn't easy, as the _Banshees_ performed aerial maneuvers to avoid being hit, but Six was able to do it.

Just then, they heard a massive _BANG_ , prompting the Terminator and Six to look towards the source of the sound. One of the civilian transports had taken off without permission, as the captain had clearly jumped the gun. Now, a burst of plasma from the Corvette had destroyed the transport, sending it to a watery grave, as the spaceport was near the tributary of a large river. 700 people, gone in the blink of an eye.

"Son of a bitch," a Marine remarked on the radio. "I can't watch this."

"Should we send search and rescue," another asked.

"Negative," the UNSC Commander decided. "No point." With that final statement, the _Falcon_ drew close to the beach, with the Terminator dismounting his V-95H and jumping out, landing on the ground near the UNSC Commander. "Trooper, we need to clear this beachhead of Covenant forces. They've taken over the area and they're going to destroy the SAM sites. We can't let that happen."

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. With that, it got onto one of the _Warthogs_ and began to drive, heading to the first SAM site, while Six got into the driver seat of another _Warthog_ and drove towards the SAM site on the far end of the beachhead. Driving to the right, the Terminator got out of the _Warthog_ and advanced towards the Covenant.

Apparently, word had gotten around that the Terminator was nearby, as the Grunts immediately panicked and ran away, while the Jackals and Skirmishers hunkered down and got ready to fire. A Brute Chieftain also got ready, getting between the SAM launcher and the Terminator. They simply delayed the inevitable.

Firing the V-95H, the Terminator tore through the Covenant forces, moving quickly as it neutralized each target. Dodging a swing from the Gravity Hammer, the Terminator blasted the alien in the chest, killing it in short order. With all hostiles down, the Terminator moved up to the SAM Battery and forcefully removed the Covenant explosive charge, throwing it down into the water, where it exploded harmlessly. A similar report from the other side indicated that Six was successful as well.

Returning to the _Warthog_ , the Terminator was about to get in when it was sent flying through the air by a Gravity Hammer, landing about ten meters from it's original position. Jumping out from behind cover, the Brute Chieftain that was responsible tried to crush the Terminator, only for the machine to take a hold of the weapon and tear it out of the Brute's hands. Getting up, the Terminator delivered a series of punishing blows to the alien, crushing organs and shattering bones with each powerful blow. After a few seconds, the Terminator took the alien by the head and twisted violently to the right, snapping the alien's neck. Before it hit the ground, the Terminator calmly picked up it's V-95H, which was undamaged, while performing a damage assessment to it's chassis. **Diagnosis Complete: Combat Chassis Damaged. Damage Level: Negligible. MJOLNIR Chest Armor Damage: Moderate. Seek Replacement Chest Armor Once Out of Combat Zone.**

With the assessment complete, the Terminator began to continue it's advancement, despite having a large dent in it's chest armor. Upon seeing that their Chieftain's attack hadn't even fazed the machine, the Covenant on the other side of the plaza became panicked, their morale beginning to crack and shatter. A group of Grunts fled from the zone, while a few Jackals and Skirmishers began to nervously back up. None of this mattered, as the Terminator opened fire shortly after. Catching up to the Terminator, Six began adding his own fire to the mix, killing Jackals and Skirmishers while the Terminator neutralized any Brutes that were in the way. As they fought, the Terminator heard the Spaceport Trafic Control officer shout, "That's it! They've breached the landing bay!"

"Now or never, Spartans," the Commander called out to them. Spotting another Chieftain, the Terminator allowed Six to neutralize the alien's shields, allowing the Terminator to quickly terminate it. Moving inside the plaza, the Terminator spotted the FCS enabler and activated it. As soon as it did, it heard, "All civilian transports, you are cleared for take off. Repeat: you are cleared for takeoff! Go, now!"

A moment later, the Covenant Corvette came into view, plasma lines flaring as it got ready to fire. Before it could, several missiles launched out of the SAM Batteries, smashing into the plasma lines and tearing them apart. Explosions ripped through the hull of the Corvette as more plasma lines blew, forcing the Corvette to flee the area. "All civilian transports are away," a transport captain reported. "You've saved a lot of lives, Spartans."

Moments later, Six heard his COM buzz, then Kat's voice came through. "Noble Two to Noble Six, do you read me?"

"Affirmative," Six replied. "We read you. The last of the civilian transports are away."

"Solid copy," Kat replied. "If the Terminator is there, tell it that Jorge gives it his regards. We'll be sending a _Falcon_ to pick you up."

"Affirmative," Six replied. Popping a flare, he tossed it out into the open, where a _Falcon_ pilot could see it. With that done, Six began to wait, with the Terminator providing overwatch for the area. They lost a lot of people, but thanks to their efforts, some had lived to see another day. To Six, that was all that mattered in the end.


	11. The Fall of New Alexandria

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, and welcome back, to my Halo - Terminator crossover. I want to thank you all for the support that I am receiving for both crossovers. Keep up the support. Also, I will be including references to other game franchises in my Halo - Mechwarrior/Battletech crossover, maybe even this one. Either way, thank you for your support, and I will continue to please. As always, leave a comment, a kudo or two, and enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Terminator franchises. They are the respective properties of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Carolo Pictures, Skydance Productions, Hemdale, Lightstorm Entertainment, 20th Century Fox, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers, producers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.

**geneburn - Aerial**

**Reach**

**New Alexandria**

**August 23rd, 2552**

Inside the _Pelican_ , Six looked out quietly at New Alexandria, lost in thought as he gazed over buildings that had been scorched, or were on fire. In the seat opposite of him, the Terminator was busy doing some repairs to it's face, as some plasma rounds had burned the living tissue sheath. Fortunately, it was almost complete, with most of the damage having been repaired. _Jorge probably isn't taking this well,_ Six thought as they continued to fly through the air. He knew the SPARTAN-II had been born on Reach, and had entered the SPARTAN-II Program while on Reach, which had made the transition more comfortable. Still, Six knew the man was probably feeling a considerable amount of anger and grief at seeing his homeworld being torn apart and glassed by the Covenant. _If I were in his position,_ Six thought, _I wouldn't be taking this very well either._

As they flew along, the _Pelican_ they were in slowly came to a landing, with Six and the Terminator hopping out onto a landing pad moments later. Carter, who had been busy helping civilians evacuate during the earlier part of the day, walked up to them. "You men doing alright," he asked.

"Yes, sir," Six replied.

"Affirmative," the Terminator added.

"Good," Carter replied, "because we're not quite done yet. Command's identified more targets for the two of you to eliminate. We've got a series of long range Covenant jammers that are making it impossible to communicate with anyone outside of the city. We need the two of you to eliminate them so that communications can be restored. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," Six replied. "Sir, permission to speak freely?"

"Granted," Carter replied.

"Is Jorge doing alright?"

Carter knew why Six had specifically asked that question, and he knew the answer the moment he heard it. "He's taking it a bit hard," he replied a moment later. "There's no doubt, he's happy to be alive, but the fact that this is Reach and that it's burning… Let's just say that he's not too happy. That's why he's coming with the two of you tonight. Make him proud."

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied.

The two were about to leave when Carter said, "Oh, before the two of you go, we've got some new equipment for you to use. The _Falcons_ have already been modified to use the new gear, but we've got some new small arms for you as well. You'll also be getting air support from UAV's that have been deployed. They should be at the _Falcons_. Good luck." With that, Carter turned and left, getting onto his own _Pelican_ a moment later.

Walking along, Six spotted Jorge at the _Falcon_ they were going to fly, along with crates of equipment that had been offloaded to the vehicle. Walking over to Jorge, he asked, "How are you doing?"

"I'm surviving," Jorge replied, his usual enthusiasm when it came to fighting the Covenant being less prominent than before. "Can't believe that this is happening to my homeworld, of all things. Now… now I understand how those Marines felt when their homeworlds were glassed by the Covenant. I can't help but feel the desire for payback."

"I understand the feeling," Six replied.

"It is in your nature to want justice for what is happening," the Terminator added.

"You're damn right it is," Jorge growled. "Still, we can't let our feelings get in the way of our better judgment. We've got a mission to complete, and I intend to complete it. Before we go, I'm going to distribute some new equipment that just arrived from Earth. The ship had to do multiple jumps to prevent the Covenant from finding Earth, but now, we've got new gear." Moments later, he opened up the crates.

The weapons inside resembled the conventional UNSC weaponry that Six was familiar with, only he noticed that something was different about them. For one, the magazines didn't hold any ammunition inside of them, but rather had some circuitry that was present. Another difference was that the weapons were lighter than their normal counterparts. Finally, parts of the weapon glowed a healthy purple color that seemed otherworldly in the dim lighting. "What is this," Six asked.

"These are UNSC 3rd Generation Phased Plasma Weapons," the Terminator answered, having scanned the weaponry with it's sensors. "The UNSC has successfully retooled their factories on Earth to produce the new weaponry. Scans indicate they have also created a Skynet-class AI to help defend Earth."

"That's about the size of it," Jorge replied. "The AI they created began learning at a geometric rate. Thanks to your advice, however, they didn't pull the plug, and the new AI has since been modifying and upgrading the plasma weaponry to work in space and on ships. In just a few days, it's already built factories, refineries and other things needed for this new tech."

Picking up an rifle, Six noticed that it was based off of the MA5D ICWS, only it had been converted into a Phased Plasma Rifle. On top of that, he could clearly tell that the weapon had been modified to allow for operations in hard vacuum, on top of being radiation hardened. Holstering the rifle, he said, "How much better is this gear compared to the original."

"Light years ahead of what we've been using," Jorge replied. "I always thought that plasma weapons were well out of our reach. Now, I can't help but believe how ignorant that thought is. I've even got an upgrade for my own HMG. Still, we need to get a move on; get yourselves armed up and we'll head out. Don't worry too much about ammunition; those fusion mags hold the equivalent of 500 rounds of ammunition."

It didn't take long for Six and the Terminator to get fully armed up and ready. Six ended up going with a M6H-E Pistol and MA5E Phased Plasma Rifle, while the Terminator simply replaced it's own arsenal with the new weapons. It also took an M45E, the plasma variant of the M45 Tactical Shotgun. On top of that, the old M9 HE/DP grenades were now replaced with the new M15 HE/P (High Explosive/Plasma) grenades, which created a rapidly expanding plasma cloud that vaporized anything within the lethal blast radius. Once fully equipped, the Terminator, Six and Jorge got into the Falcon, with Jorge and the Terminator manning the weapons. "Put your wings back on, Six," Kat said over COMs. "You're flying again tonight." Powering up the _Falcon_ , Six eased forwards on the throttle, allowing the VTOL to quickly ascend to cruising altitude.

"As Carter has informed you, we have a series of long range Covenant Jammers that need to be neutralized," Kat continued. "Your orders are to fly to each one and take them out. William will be sending you updates on their information, as well as any secondary objectives that need to be completed."

"Rodger that," Six replied.

Moments later, William came onto the COM. "Alright, gentlemen," the Tech-Com Sergeant began, "we've got a Covenant Jammer located at the New Alexandria hospital. Turn northeast and fly to the designated area."

A moment later, a Marine came in over the COM. "Echo 2-1 to Noble Seven, do you copy?"

"Noble Seven to Echo 2-1, I read you," William replied. "SITREP."

"We've got Covenant personnel inside of the hospital," the Marine replied. "They've sent Elite Specialists and a number of Grunts and Jackals. We're pinned down and we need reinforcements now!"

"Rodger that," William replied. "Noble Six, Noble Three and Noble Eight are inbound to provide support. Hang in there Echo 2-1. Help is on the way."

Hearing that, Six gunned the engines, causing the _Falcon_ to fly towards the northeast as fast as possible. As he flew along, Six veered to the left, narrowly dodging a stream of plasma bolts that came from a Covenant _Banshee_. " _Banshee_ on our six," he called out. "Take it out!"

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. The _Falcon_ turned to the right, allowing the Terminator to have a clear line of sight on the enemy aircraft. Pulling the trigger, the Terminator fired the mounted V-95H at the _Banshee,_ pelting it with supersonic, phased plasma bolts. After just a few seconds, the nanolaminate armor on the _Banshee_ failed, with the aircraft exploding spectacularly as the plasma tore it apart. Turning the VTOL back around, Six continued to fly towards the hospital, with the structure quickly coming into view. The hospital was a massive building, reaching up all the way from ground level to the altitude they were at. There was a large plaza that held the landing pad, with a central tower that had the classic, six pronged star with the symbol of the medical profession inside of it. The central tower was connected to a larger building via an atrium that had a glass roof. Part of the building had been hit with Covenant weapons fire, as a section of the tower above the atrium was on fire.

The Covenant had also set up AA defenses, as Six spotted an AA Shade Turret that was guarding the area. Taking aim, Six fired the chaingun on the _Falcon_ , only to be surprised when phased plasma bolts ripped out of the barrel and into the Shade Turret. While resistant to projectile weapons, the Shade Turret was significantly less durable when faced with phased plasma. It only took a single burst for the turret to be destroyed. _So, they also upgraded the Falcon itself,_ Six thought as he brought the VTOL in for landing. _Not bad, not bad at all. In fact, it seems to have done the Falcon some good. No wonder it felt more responsive than the ones I trained with._ With that, the _Falcon_ landed, with Six getting out of the pilot's seat, with the Terminator following behind.

"I'll keep the bird company," Jorge replied. "See you when you get back."

As they moved forwards, the Terminator spotted some Grunts inside the entrance, only they were encased in a purple glowing overshield. Scanning the area, the Terminator spotted an Engineer, only this one was encased in armor, with a helmet like device on it's head. "Stay here," the Terminator told Six. "I will liberate the Engineer from it's armor, and terminate the Grunts. Once that is complete, you will link up with me again."

"Roger that," Six replied. "How are you going to get through without harming the noncombatant."

In response, the Terminator turned towards Six, smiled and said, "Trust me." Advancing forwards, the Terminator pulled out it's MA5E, loaded the underbarrel MGL (Magnetic Grenade Launcher) and took aim. Moments later, it fired off a grenade. Instead of an explosion, the grenade landed and began emitting a smoke-like substance into the air. It soon proved to be tear gas, as the Grunts began to cough and choke as the gas irritated their eyes, while seeping through their gas masks and into their lungs. The Engineer, spotting the Terminator, floated over from the center of the spiral tower to the Terminator, trills of curiosity coming from the alien.

Moving forward past the planters and into the tower, the Terminator pulled the Engineer away and removed it's helmet, while also removing some of it's armor. "Go there," it told the Engineer as it pulled the alien outside, pointing at the _Falcon_ with a finger. Sensing that the Terminator meant no harm, the Engineer hesitated for a moment, then it began to float over to the VTOL, getting inside after a few seconds. The Grunts, on the other hand, began to suffocate, their lungs not capable of properly flushing out the tear gas. To further expedite this, the Terminator began removing their face masks, while Six came up from the rear. While the Grunts continued to suffocate to death, the Terminator and Six moved inside of the hospital and into the central tower.

The interior of the hospital was much more welcoming than the exterior, as the floor and parts of the ceiling had warm wood paneling. Planter plots were regularly arranged on each of the floors, with the greenery providing some welcome eye relief from the more drab parts of the hospital. Warm lighting filled the area, with ramps providing access for handicapped patients, as well as glass walls for each ramp. The Covenant were scattered throughout the area, mostly Jackals and Grunts. Taking aim with his new weapon, Six fired off a burst of plasma rounds, tearing into a Jackal that was on the floor below. He was impressed when the phased plasma cooked the alien's hand off, with the Jackal screaming just as more plasma bolts tore into it's armored torso, killing it instantly. Continuing to move down through the structure, Six and the Terminator neutralized any Covenant that were in the way. Reaching the ground floor, where the receptionists desk was located at, Six spotted a squad of Grunts, as well as a Brute Major at the bottom of the tower. "We've got Brutes," Six told the Terminator. "Any ideas?"

"Yes," the Terminator replied. It quickly removed the tear gas grenades in it's Underbarrel MGL and replaced them with the new M15 HE/P grenades. Taking aim, the Terminator targeted the Brute Major and fired off a grenade, the quiet _TOONK_ of the weapon being the only indicator that it had fired. Milliseconds later, Six watched as the Brute Major was instantly vaporized by the resulting plasma sphere, which expanded violently, killing the Grunts as well. When it faded moments later, all that remained of the enemy was an 8 meter large, glowing, bowl shaped crater in the ground, the inside glowing red-hot from the plasma.

"Damn," Six remarked. "That is some powerful shit right there. Did the AI from your universe come up with that?"

"Yes," the Terminator replied. "It was seen as an evolution of the traditional fragmentation grenade. The M15 HE/P Grenade has a perfect safety and kill record when facing enemy combatants."

"I can see why," Six remarked. "There's nothing left of the enemy there. Just a smoking crater." He subconsciously brushed a hand over the HE/P Grenades that he had on his person, thankful for the fact that they had a perfect safety record.

Continuing to move down through the structure, they entered the reception area and continued through, navigating around the crater the Terminator's grenade had made. Entering the atrium, Six spotted more Brutes that were in the area, most likely guards for the jammer on the other side. He could see the device, which was emitting waves of blue energy, with an Engineer located in the back providing technical support for the device. Currently, said Brutes were engaged with UNSC Marines, who were still using conventional weapons to defend their position. Taking aim, Six engaged the zoom function on his MA5E, which put the weapon into semi-automatic mode. Rapidly pulling the trigger, Six killed three of the six Brutes with ease, sending phased plasma bolts that burrowed into the alien's heads with shocking ease. Realizing they were under attack, the Brutes turned around, with two of them being vaporized by another M15 HE/P Grenade from the Terminator's underbarrel MGL. The last one was eliminated by Six with a precision shot, causing the alien's head to explode as the brain inside was flash-cooked.

"Thanks for the assist," one of the Marines called out. "I thought we'd bought the farm for sure."

"Stay here," the Terminator ordered them. "A _Pelican_ is on it's way to extract you from this location. I will deal with the jamming device." Walking forwards, the Terminator pulled the Engineer away from the Jamming Device before placing an plasma charge on the device. Taking a hold of the Engineer, the Terminator yanked the creature away from the device, much to it's discomfort; moments later, the plasma charge detonated, vaporizing the jammer almost immediately. With the Jammer down, the Terminator began making it's way back to the others when it spotted new enemy contacts. **Scan Complete. New Covenant Unit: Elite Specialist. Specialized Elite Ground Forces Utilizing Anti-Grav Packs. Termination Priority: High. Terminate Covenant Specialists.** Taking aim, the Terminator opened fire with it's MA5E, with Six adding his own fire to the mix.

The Elite Specialists didn't expect the UNSC to have armed it's special forces with plasma weaponry, as three of the eight Specialists were taken out before they could react. The others immediately scrambled, taking cover and firing back with their own plasma weaponry. Two were promptly vaporized by a M15 grenade, while Six targeted two more with his MA5E, killing the two elites in short order. Soon, the tower was empty of hostile contacts, allowing the two to get to the VTOL and leave, with the Engineer in tow. "Looks like you've got company with you," Jorge remarked as the Engineer floated over to it's comrade, which was busy upgrading the V-95H turrets that were mounted onto the _Falcon_. "Normally, I'd shoot the things, but it appears as though they don't want to attack us. Why is that?"

"The Engineers are a species created by an advanced species known as the Forerunners," the Terminator replied as Six powered up the VTOL. "The Forerunners created them in order to maintain their structures. According to the Engineers, the Forerunners designated Humanity as Reclaimers, who are individuals that were chosen by the Forerunners to claim their technology for themselves."

"Really," Jorge remarked. "Why is that?"

"Unknown as of now," the Terminator replied. "Once we have reached a safe location, I will inquire the Engineers as to how Humanity regressed to it's current technological state." With that, the Terminator settled in for the ride, but not before handing the Engineers it's plasma weaponry.

As they flew along, they heard an incoming message. "Noble Seven, this is ODST Gunnery Sergeant Buck."

"Go ahead, Buck," William replied.

"We're currently awaiting EVAC at a skyscraper near the hospital," Buck continued. "We're pinned down by Covenant AA turrets. Can you send assistance?"

"Rodger that," William replied. "I'm sending a _Falcon_ with Noble Five, Six and Eight to your current location. Hold tight, they're on their way." A moment later, William said, "Noble Team, you've got an ODST, Sergeant Eddie Buck, requesting assistance. Marking their location now." Moments later, a waypoint came up on Six's HUD, marking a location near the hospital and the local HQ of Sinoviet Industries.

Gunning the engine, Six quickly got the VTOL to the location that the ODST's were at. Six Covenant AA Turrets were located on the skyscraper the ODST's were at, with two firing at the entrance to the building's maintenance stairwell. Firing the _Falcon's_ main guns, Six neutralized the two AA turrets, while Jorge and the Terminator neutralized any _Banshee's_ that got too close to the _Falcon_. Eventually, all of the AA turrets were down, with a _Pelican_ coming in to pick up the ODST's. "Nice work, Spartan," Buck replied over the COM. "I'll see you in hell."

"You too," Six replied. While Buck's fairwell seemed rude and crude, Six knew the ODST was actually grateful to be able to evacuate from the skyscraper, and not a moment too soon. As soon as the _Pelican_ took off and left, there was a loud groaning sound, then the skyscraper collapsed, rapidly descending underneath the clouds that were present down below. "That was close," Six remarked.

"Tell me about it," Jorge replied.

A moment later, there was another radio broadcast. "Noble Seven, this is Charlie 3-5!"

"Go ahead, Charlie 3-5."

"We're pinned down at Club Errera! The Covenant brought Hunters with them to protect the Jammer. We don't have the firepower and we're being pushed out into the outdoor lobby! We need immediate assistance!"

"Rodger that," William replied. "I'm sending a _Falcon_ with three Spartans to your location. If you can't hold your position, retreat to the landing pad and await support." Switching channels, William said, "Noble Six, we've got Marines requesting reinforcements at Nightclub Errera. Get over there and help them out."

"Rodger that," Six replied. Turning the stick of the _Falcon_ , Six began to fly towards the nightclub, which was a considerable distance away from the location he was at. As they flew along, Six kept an eye out for any sign of suspicious activity.

His caution was well rewarded, as he barely dodged a stream of plasma from up below. Pulling the _Falcon_ into a hard right turn, Six angled the VTOL and spotted the source of the fire: a _Phantom_ had come up from below and was now attempting to take them out. Firing the _Falcon's_ main cannon, Six pelted the Covenant dropship with plasma, while the Terminator and Jorge kept any _Banshee's_ off of their position. Still, the _Phantom's_ pilot was more than determined to take out the _Falcon_ , as Six felt plasma bolts impact the hull. "We're taking too much damage," Jorge called out. "The Covenant have us pinned!" Moments later, Six watched as the _Phantom_ prepared to fire the killing blow.

Suddenly, the _Phantom_ was jolted around by a pair of missiles that struck it, sending it careening into the side of a building. Moments later, Six watched as a large, twin winged vehicle flew up from the clouds below and towards the _Banshee's_. The hull of the new vehicle was a matte gray, similar to the color that UNSC Army VTOL's tended to use. Twin, turbofan engines kept the VTOL up in the air, allowing it to fly forwards at extreme speed. What really caught Six's attention was the fact that there was no cockpit, not even a small slit viewport to allow a pilot to see. _It must be one of the VTOL's that Carter mentioned,_ Six realized. As soon as he did, the UAV spotted the _Banshee's_ and immediately opened fire, destroying a couple with hyper-velocity plasma bolts. Six lowered the _Falcon's_ descent, allowing the UAV to fire on the _Banshee's_ without hindrance. As he continued towards Club Errera, he saw a text line on his HUD appear, saying **_"Contacts Neutralized. New Objective: Escort Spartans To Club Errera."_**

"Looks like we've got reinforcements," Jorge remarked, "and not just aerial support. Look." He pointed to the underside of the UAV's chassis, which held a number of what looked like biped robots.

"Six to Noble Seven, what are we looking at?"

"I know what you're looking at," William replied. "That's the UH-225 _Eagle_ Aerial Hunter-Killer drone. It comes armed with ablative armor, energy shields, a Plasma Rotary Autocannon and roughly eight T-850L Terminators. In other words, the Covenant at Club Errera are about to have a real, bad day." With that, they reached Club Errera. The exterior lobby of the nightclub was lavishly decorated, with holographic screens on the ceiling as well as more screens on the back wall of the exterior lobby. A small balcony was at the back, with ramps leading onto it, while the interior of the club was accessible via a door that was located in the back. Covenant units were present here as well, with a couple Shade AA turrets that were present.

Six was about to engage when the _Eagle_ HK Aerial immediately destroyed the AA Shade Turrets, before offloading it's own forces onto the ground. As he landed the _Falcon_ , Six spotted the new, T-850L's that had been offloaded. For the first time in his life, he felt a chill run down his spine when he saw the armored myomers, metallic endoskeleton and the chilling, macabre smile on each of the Terminator's exposed faces. _If that's what they look like under a living tissue sheath, then they're frightening,_ he thought. _I'm glad they're on our side._ Moments later, several Grunts, a few Jackals, Skirmishers and a Brute Major came out into the plaza, weapons ready. The T-850L's skeletal appearance proved to be so intimidating that the effect was almost immediate; the Grunts immediately chickened out, dropping their weapons and running away screaming at the tops of their lungs. The Jackals and Skirmishers began to back up nervously, while the Brute Major remained in control. That was when the new T-850L's went to work. Aiming at the Brute Major, the T-850L's opened fire, killing the Brute Major almost instantly before marching up and into the interior of the building, with the Terminator and Six following closely behind. Once they were in the entry hallway, they entered the main interior lobby of the nightclub.

The interior lobby was just as lavishly decorated, indicating that this was a nightclub for the rich and famous. Wood paneling was everywhere, along with light strips, a DJ station near the top, as well as a bar for people wanting to get drunk and have a good time. Lights flashed on and off inside of the nightclub, causing a shutter effect in certain areas. Unfortunately, the Covenant meant that any good times were promptly canceled. Looking around the Terminator spotted a pair of Hunters, a Brute Chieftain, as well as Jackals and Skirmishers guarding the Jamming unit. Targeting the Brute Chieftain, the Terminator let loose with a burst of plasma, damaging the Chieftain's armor and forcing it to retreat.

The T-850L's, on the other hand, directly engaged the Hunters. Thanks to UNSC programming, which was further enhanced by the AI's that were inside of the T-850L units, the robotic machines lured the Hunters away from each other, before getting to work terminating each one. Titanium hyperalloy nanocomposite fists smashed into nanolaminate armor, with the robots working with each other to quickly dismantle the Hunters. It wasn't a one sided fight, as a few T-850L's were hurled away from the Hunters, but in the end, each of the Hunters were ripped apart, their bodies spit into each constituent component before the T-850L's vaporized each one with their plasma weapons. One of them fired a M15 HE/P Grenade at the Jammer, destroying it almost immediately.

"Wow," Six remarked, just as the Terminator neutralized the Brute Chieftain. "That took only one minute to complete. You Terminators really know your stuff."

"Of course," Parsons replied. "We are Terminators." With that, they left the club, with the T-850L's retreating. A few damaged ones went to the _Falcon_ outside, where the Engineers quickly repaired each one. Loading up, both the _Falcon_ and the _Eagle_ took off, flying into the night sky over New Alexandria. Another distress call came in, with a squad of UNSC Marines requesting aerial support in order to evacuate some civilians they had rescued. Instead of heading to the site, Six left for Sinoviet Industry's local HQ, while the UH-225 _Eagle_ left to destroy any enemies threatening the civilians.

As they flew towards Sinoviet Industries local HQ, Six heard the radio broadcast from the site. "Noble Seven, this is Juliet 8-2, we're under heavy fire! Multiple contacts!"

"Copy that," William replied. "Move out of there and head for immediate extraction."

"Negative! Negative! We-" Moments later, the radio signal cut out.

"Juliet 8-2, do you read me," William asked. "Juliet 8-2, do you copy? Over." When no reply came, William said, "Noble Six, Juliet 8-2 was tasked with handling the Jammer located at Sinoviet Industries local HQ. I need you to head over there and find out what happened. If you can, disable the jammer and get out of there."

"Rodger that," Six replied. Turning the _Falcon_ in that direction, Six proceeded over to Sinoviet Industries local HQ. The building was a large and blocky one, with a green shaved V that had a small triangle located in the inner part of the V. Ringed sections of the building were present down below, with a landing pad located near the upper section of the building. Spotting some Covenant units, Six let loose with the Plasma Autocannon on the _Falcon_ , tearing apart the Covenant units he'd spotted earlier. Moving in towards the structure, Six carefully landed the _Falcon_ , with the Terminator quickly getting out. The plaza they'd landed in was a multi-tiered area, with a water fall, a series of stairs, and platforms that led to an elevator. Some Covenant units were present, mostly Jackals and Brutes, which were quickly neutralized.

Getting into the elevator, the Terminator pressed the icon to head to the most recently used floor, where the Marines had gone. The elevator doors soon opened to a Japanese style garden, with small, Bonsai trees, pebble gardens and a small water fountain. The room they were in had a second floor, which Six took to find where the Jammer was. Instead of a jammer, he found a Marine that was at the upper level. The man had clearly been through the wringer, as he was blabbing nonsense and had a Magnum to his head. Only his instinct for self-preservation kept the man from pulling the trigger. "Oh, sh*t," the man babbled. "Those… those Buggers they… they killed them all!"

"Hey," Six said firmly. "Look at me." When the Marine looked up at Six with tear stained eyes, the Spartan said, "We're here to help. We're going to disable the jammer and get you out of here. You understand me. We'll pull you out."

"A-a Spartan," the man stammered. "T-thank you for coming. I-I thought I was going to die here."

"You won't," Six replied. "I promise."

A moment later, Six heard the sound of the Jammer being destroyed, then a loud, buzzing sound. Looking around, Six watched as small, insectoid aliens began to fly around, firing plasma pistols at him. "Shit," William shouted over the COM. "It's a trap! Get out of there!"

"Come on," Six shouted, grabbing the traumatized Marine by his arm and hefting him over his shoulder. Running quickly, Six reached the elevator and got inside. At the same time, a Drone grabbed a hold of the Marine's leg.

the Marine screamed, panic overwhelming the man as he struggled to break free. "It's got me! Don't let it take me! HELP ME!" Grabbing a hold of the man, Six kicked the alien loose before gunning it down.

A few moments later, the Terminator came running out, it's systems scanning all the while. **New Enemy Identified: Drones. Insectoid Species That Travels In Swarms. Threat Level: High. Warning: Drone Numbers Reaching Critical Levels. Evacuate Immediately.** Moments later, the Terminator was inside, pressing the elevator button for the landing pad. The doors closed mercifully quick, with the elevator quickly descending.

"Oh, shit," the Marine gasped. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Six replied. "I did promise not to leave you behind, after all." When the elevator doors opened, the Marine bolted for the _Falcon_ so fast he nearly fell down a couple steps. He was surprised by the Engineers onboard the _Falcon_ , but beyond that, he was more than happy to be alive and well.

Getting inside the _Falcon_ , Six said, "Noble Six to Noble Seven. All jammers have been neutralized."

"Copy that," William replied.

Moments later, Carter came onto the line. "Noble One to Noble Seven, we've got new orders. Have Six pull back to ONI's HQ and regroup."

"Confirmed," William replied, "Noble Six, get to the HQ and-" Suddenly, there was some static as the line went dead.

"Noble Seven, Sitrep," Carter asked.

"We're under attack," William shouted. "Covenant forces are assaulting the HQ! They must have triangulated my signal. Six, get your ass over here now! We've got Covenant AA turrets, _Phantoms_ and _Banshees_ firing on our position! Get that UAV over here as well!"

"Roger that," Six calmly replied, just as the _Eagle_ HK Aerial flew into view. Gunning the engines, Six increased the _Falcon's_ speed to it's maximum velocity, while the HK Aerial quickly caught up and maintained it's flight path. After a minute of travel, they quickly came to ONI's local HQ. The building was a tall, imposing structure, with slab black sides that slopped downwards. Landing pads containing _Pelicans_ were present, along with retractable landing pads located at regular intervals. The Covenant were attacking the base in full force, with Covenant AA turrets, _Phantoms_ and _Banshees_ firing at the structure and anyone outside. Opening a COM channel to the _Eagle_ HK, Six said, "UAV-1, I need you to handle the _Phantoms_ and _Banshees_. I'll handle the AA turrets and help the _Pelicans_ get out of here."

 ** _"Affirmative,"_** the HK Aerial replied. **_"Mission Parameters Updated: Terminate Covenant Air Support."_** Moments later, the HK Aerial began firing it's complement of missiles and plasma bolts at the _Phantoms_ and _Banshees_ , terminating each one with the precision only a machine could achieve. While it did that, Six quickly neutralized each of the Shade AA Turrets, allowing the _Pelicans_ to escape to freedom.

"All contacts down," Six reported as he destroyed the final AA turret.

 _ **"Enemy Air Support Terminated,"**_ the HK Aerial reported as well.

"Rodger that," William replied. "Alright, Noble Six. I'm extending one of the landing pads. Welcome home, Lieutenant." A moment later, one of the landing pads deployed, allowing Six, Jorge, the Terminator, the Marine with them and the Engineers to get out.

* * *

Down in the lobby of the ONI building, Jun was busy scanning the exterior of the building with his binoculars. Kat was busy trying to get a radio to work, despite the damage it had taken, while Carter paced around, waiting for Kat to finish getting to work. William and Emile were making small talk with each other as they awaited Six's arrival. Moments later, Six and the others arrived, with the Engineers making relieved trilling sounds. "Look at this," Jun remarked. "New Alexandria. Used to be the crown jewel." Putting down the binoculars, he snorted, "Not anymore." Spotting Six and Jorge, he said, "Hey, you guys made it."

"It's like a family reunion," Emile remarked.

Standing up, William walked over to the Terminator. "How are you doing, Parsons?"

"Excellent," the Terminator replied.

"It's a sad day still," Jorge remarked as he looked outside. "I never thought I'd have to leave Reach. Looks like that will have to happen, though."

"Hey, it's OK, big guy," Emile remarked. "We'll get Reach back. We'll teach the Covenant a lesson in the end."

Nearby, Kat was talking with Carter. "Those are senior level squads," Carter remarked.

"I hear what I hear," Kat replied as she continued to work.

"You have that signal yet," Carter asked.

"I'm chasing it," Kat grumbled, "but this thing has more shrapnel than transceivers inside of-" She was interrupted when one of the Engineers came and, working it's technological ingenuity, fully repaired the device. "Never mind," Kat remarked. "I wonder if we've already lost, though," she remarked.

A moment later, Colonel Holland came over the radio. Picking up an earpiece, Carter began to talk with him. As he did so, Jun said, "Woah. A lot of Covenant are moving out of the area, and they're in a hurry."

"Since when do the Covenant leave for no reason," Emile remarked.

"I can think of one," William replied when he heard his suit's Geiger counter clicking. "Radiation flare, and a big one! 40 million roentgens."

"I just lost the signal with Colonel Holland," Carter shouted.

"Atomic excitement scrambled the signal. Sixty million roentgens."

"How close," Carter asked.

Suddenly, the window in the lobby flew inwards, shattering into a million pieces as a flash of light cut through the air. "That close," William shouted as he was blown backwards towards the elevator. The wind howled and roared as an energy beam swept near the area, vaporizing anything that was too close. Pulling themselves off the ground, the squad rapidly moved into the elevators.

"First glassing," Kat asked Six as she got in. When he nodded, she said, "Me too. I'll be alright."

"Ma'am," the Terminator said to Kat. "Your energy shield module has suffered damage. Your shields are offline."

"What," Kat asked. Looking down at her TACCOM computer, she noticed that the Terminator was right. "Shit," she growled. "The radiation flare must've shorted it out. I'm not getting a reading from the module." Moments later, one of the Engineers floated over to her, it's tendrils quickly working on her shield module. Moments later, Kat watched as her shields quickly came back online. "Thanks," she said to the Engineer, who nodded in reply.

"Anything new," William, who was in the other elevator, asked Carter.

"We've got new orders," Carter replied. "We're being relocated to SWORD Base."

"SWORD," Jun asked, flabbergasted. "The Covenant own it now!"

"Which is why we're being sent on a burn operation, to destroy any information that the Covenant might want," Carter replied.

"If they haven't gotten it already," Kat replied as the elevator doors opened.

"Maybe," Carter replied. "According to Holland, the Covenant are looking for something."

"Why would we be chasing after them while on a burn op-," Kat was interrupted when a Needler Rifle round impacted her shields. The crystal shard bounced off her shields and buried itself harmlessly in the wall, with Kat stumbling from the impact. "Shit," she shouted.

"Covenant Zealots," William shouted, firing his new MA5E ICWS at a _Phantom_ that was hovering over a hole in the ceiling. The others immediately opened fire, killing the Elite Zealot that had fired the shot at Kat, with the alien's body tumbling into the room a moment later. Moments later, the enemy _Phantom_ retreated, leaving the area calm and quiet once more.

"Get into the elevators," Carter shouted, with the others quickly pulling back. Once inside, they began to head to the ground floor, where they saw the extend of the glassing. The ground looked as though a volcanic eruption had gone off, with molten rock, metal and other materials glowing orange to yellow hot. Heat waves distorted the light in the area, giving the place an ethereal feel, as though the area was a mirage in a hot desert. All around, buildings had been warped into surrealist shapes by the intense heat. Popping a flare, the others waited for the _Pelicans_ to arrive. Now, they knew they had to move. The Covenant wanted to destroy Reach, and they had to complete their mission fast, otherwise, there wouldn't be a SWORD Base to save.


	12. Return to Sword Base

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - Terminator crossover. Thank you once again for the support. I really appreciate the feedback that you all are giving me. This crossover is doing very well, and I hope it continues to do well. Keep up the support! As always, leave a comment, a kudo or two, and enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Terminator franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Carolco Pictures, Hemdale, Skydance Productions, Lightstorm Entertainment, 20th Century Fox, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers, producers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.

**Reach**

**Sword Base**

**August 23rd, 2552**

The trip to Sword base was a long and quiet one, despite the fact that there were roughly eight Spartans, one Marine and two Engineers inside of the _Pelican_ that was transporting them to said base. Inside the troop bay, the team was silent and collected as they checked their weaponry, with the Terminator handling a few explosive charges. Outside, the UH-225 _Eagle_ HK Drone was following them, with it's own compliment of T-850L's attached to the underside of the vehicle.

Moments later, the _Pelican_ came to a landing near the location of part of the ice shelf… or rather what _was_ part of the ice shelf. The area around Sword Base had been glassed by the Covenant, causing most of the ice in the area to melt and flood the lower lying areas of the beachhead. In addition, UAV reconnaissance had detected two Covenant AA turrets in the area, which were preventing other operatives from getting closer to the base. Instead of the entire team getting out, Noble Six and the Terminator exited the vehicle, with Six armed with the new SRS-105c-PAMR (Plasma Anti-Materiel Rifle), the plasma version of the SRS99c Sniper Rifle used by marksmen. The Terminator was armed with closer range weaponry, primarily the V-20B PDW and the V-15c Automatic Shotgun, which would be perfect once it got inside of the base.

Moving forwards, the Terminator and Six continued to head to their position. Looking out near part of the base, the Terminator determined that they were at where Farragut Station had been at before the glassing, as it identified wood and polycrete structures that were buried under water. Covenant Jackals wielding Beam Rifles were milling about, their eyes searching for any unwanted guests. Reaching their position, Six spotted a few ODST's that had volunteered to come along on the mission, having been dropped off by another Pelican. As he hopped down, Colonel Holland contacted them over the radio. "Noble One, this is Noble Actual."

"Go ahead, Colonel," Carter replied.

"We need that base blown now son," Holland told Carter. "What's your situation?"

"Thermal imaging shows standing room only inside," Carter replied. "We'll need to thin them out. If we don't, we'll be way too popular."

"Rodger that," Holland replied. "Keep me posted. Holland out."

Contacting Six, Carter said, "Noble Six, Noble Eight, are you in position?"

"Affirmative," Six replied.

"Good. Execute." With that, the operation began.

Taking aim, Six aimed for the Jackal Sniper that was standing in the defensive tower the Covenant had set up nearby. Pulling the trigger, he watched as a hypersonic bolt of phased plasma tore through the air and into the Jackal, severing it's head from it's body. The lifeless corpse landed on the ground with a meaty _THUMP_ , startling the Grunts in the area. That promptly startled the other Jackal Sniper, who was wielding a Focus Rifle. Before it could move, Six blew it's head apart with another, well placed plasma bolt. Hearing movement next to him, Six watched as the Terminator prepared to jump down. Just as Six was about to ask it where it was going, the Terminator looked at him and said, "I'll be back," then it jumped down into the water.

Landing in the water, the Terminator got onto the beach and began to move forwards, using any rocks and debris for cover. Activating it's infiltration subroutines, the Terminator moved forwards into any hidden locations, using them to bypass the Covenant forces that were clustered around the now submerged outpost. Once it was a sufficient distance away, it stood up and continued ahead. Rounding the corner, the Terminator detected a vehicle nearby. The vehicle vaguely resembled a scorpion, with it's main cannon in the same poise as the insect in question, along with the quad track system, and the thick body. A single, pintle mounted turret was located to the right of the cockpit, which had an armored cover that protected the pilot.

Scanning the vehicle, the Terminator searched it's databanks for information on the vehicle. **Scan Complete. Vehicle Model: M808B Scorpion MBT. Type: UNSC Main Battle Tank. Armament: 1x M512 Smooth-Bore Hyper-Velocity 90mm Cannon, 1x M247T 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Gun. Main Cannon Muzzle Velocity: 1500m/s. Armor: Titanium-Ceramic Composite.** **Alert: Scorpion Has Been Modified with V-95H Plasma Minigun** **. Status: Suitable.** Getting inside the _Scorpion,_ the Terminator linked up with the computer systems inside, activating the engine and main weapon systems. Turning the vehicle around, the Terminator began driving back to the outpost. Spotting a _Ghost_ , it began targeting the enemy vehicle.

 _When's that Terminator going to be back,_ Six thought to himself as he fired on more Covenant units. Nearby, the ODST's continued to engage with whatever long range weaponry they had, before they began to move up closer to the enemy. Hopping down from the rock, Six pulled out his MA5E and continued forwards, wading through the water as he moved forwards. More Jackals and Grunts came out, with a few Skirmishers mixed into the group. Taking aim, Six unleashed high intensity plasma against the aliens, killing a few Grunts with well aimed shots. Nearby, the ODST's shouted as they engaged the Skirmishers, using their superior training to counter the Skirmisher's agility.

"Who's laughing now," one ODST shouted as he neutralized a Jackal with the new M7B, the plasma variant of the M7 SMG. "You're not the only ones that have plasma weapons now. Plus, ours are better than yours."

"Don't get cocky," another ODST cautioned his friend. "If you do, they'll quickly take you out." With that in mind, they team moved forwards.

As he took the lead, Six spotted a few _Ghosts_ that were coming towards them. Just as he was about to open fire, Six watched as two of the four _Ghosts_ exploded, with pieces of their armor and components flying everywhere in the blast. Seconds later, the other _Ghosts_ met the same fate, their armor and weaponry flying apart in a massive explosion. The area fell silent as the _Ghosts_ finished being destroyed, leaving Six and the ODST's to wonder what had happened. That question was answered when Six heard the bass rumbling of an engine being engaged. Looking around the corner, Six watched as a _Scorpion_ drove up towards them. "I'm back," the Terminator stated as it brought the tank to a stop. "Get onboard. We need to neutralize the AA cannons."

"On it," Six replied, hopping into the pintle, which held the V-95H. The ODST's clambered onboard the tank's tracks a moment later, securing themselves on the handlebars on each track's armor plating. Once they were secured, the Terminator turned the _Scorpion_ around and began driving towards the AA cannons.

As they drove forwards, Six watched as another Covenant Tower came into view, this one having a group of Grunts totting Fuel Rod Launchers on their shoulders. Six was about to warn the Terminator when the machine turned the _Scorpion's_ main cannon towards the Tower and fired, sending a 90mm APFSDS (Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot) round at the Tower. Said tower was promptly shredded, with the defensive fortification splitting into five different sections before falling down to the ground, sending the Grunts to a very hard landing. Any that survived were promptly killed by Six and the ODSTs. Moments later, Six turned around just in time to see a pair of _Wraith's_ coming into view. "Oh, shit," he remarked. "That's not good. Looks like the Covenant really doesn't want us to get inside Sword Base."

"Noted," the Terminator replied. Taking aim again, the Terminator fired off another shell, impacting the first _Wraith_ on it's own mounted turret. The Elite on that turret was promptly obliterated, it's body ripped apart by the tank shell. The APFSDS round continued on it's way, smashing into the _Wraith's_ Plasma Mortar and tearing into the components. With that _Wraith's_ main gun disabled, the enemy operator was forced to pull back, while the second _Wraith_ moved forwards and fired a plasma mortar round. Pulling the vehicle back, the Terminator narrowly avoided the plasma bolus, though the explosion did rock the vehicle somewhat. Moving forwards again, the Terminator fired another shell, which ricocheted off of the _Wraith_. The second shell did the trick, as it punched through the armor and tore into the crew compartment, killing the _Wraith_ immediately. The first _Wraith_ was also eliminated in the same manner.

Moving onward, the Terminator continued to drive, running over a few fleeing Grunts in the process. Firing another shell, the Terminator destroyed a Covenant communications antenna, while Six gunned down the Elites and Grunts using the V-95H. The Elite's body jerked and spasmed as superheated hydrogen plasma tore through it's body, cooking it's organs and killing it instantly. With all hostiles down, the Terminator continued to advance. After a few turns and humps, the _Scorpion_ reached the AA Guns location. The AA Guns were located where the UNSC AA Gun outpost was at, though it was clear that turret had been destroyed a long time ago. Only a smoking ruin remained, broken beyond any hope of repair. The various support buildings were still present, though it was clear that the glassing had damaged them, as their support beams and walls were warped and bent into surrealist shapes. Two Covenant AA Cannons had been set up nearby, with each cannon firing at _Falcons_ and _Eagle_ HK Drones that were flying about. A number of Covenant personnel were milling about outside, along with a few _Ghosts_ and a _Revenant_ that were patrolling the area.

Spotting the AA Cannons, the Terminator performed an analysis of any potential weaknesses. **Analysis Complete. AA Cannon Pintle Mount Vulnerable to APFSDS Shells. Internal Power Supply Vulnerable to HEAT Shells. Objectives Updated: Use Tank Cannon to Destroy Power Supply from Safe Distance. Current Objectives: Terminate Covenant Defenders.**

"We've got Covies," an ODST shouted, firing his MA5E at some Jackals that were coming down the hill. Gunning the engine, the Terminator drove forwards, crushing the corpses underneath the _Scorpion's_ weight, allowing the vehicle to crest over the hill and into the former AA Gun Outpost. Taking aim, the Terminator fired the Cannon once again, catching a _Ghost_ completely off guard with the sudden weapons fire. That was the only _Ghost_ that was caught off guard, as the Covenant defenders immediately turned around and began firing. Six held down the trigger, firing more phased plasma bolts at the enemy infantry with lethal precision. Grunts, Jackals, Skirmishers and Elites were gunned down by what seemed like a near-contiguous stream of plasma that tore through the air like angry hornets.

The ODST's were also earning their pay, as they fired on any Covenant personnel that got too close to the _Scorpion_. "Oh no, you don't," an ODST shouted as he fired on an Elite, preventing the alien from tearing off the rear exhaust panel on the _Scorpion._ "You'll have to do way better than that to destroy this tank." A loud explosion cut off the ODST's taunt, as the Terminator fired the main cannon a moment later, sending another _Ghost_ to the scrap heap. The _Revenant_ fired a plasma mortar, which nearly hit an ODST as the man threw himself off of the tank tread. The plasma bolus struck the tank tread, boiling off some of the armor and rocking the vehicle. Unfazed, the Terminator took aim and fired off a shell, splitting the _Revenant_ apart.

While this was going on, Six continued to terminate more Covenant infantry. Spotting a couple Hunters, he immediately opened fire, pelting the massive creatures with phased plasma bolts. While the nanolaminate armor was tough, it wasn't tough enough to survive roughly 4,000 plasma bolts per minute, as the Hunter went down after ten seconds, with it's buddy following shortly thereafter. "All infantry neutralized," Six reported.

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. Turning the tank cannon, the Terminator switched out the APFSDS round for a HEAT shell, before firing into the interior of one of the AA turrets. Moments later, the AA Turret began to undergo it's self-destruct sequence, allowing the Terminator to move up and do the same for the next turret. With both turrets down, the Terminator continued to drive the mildly damaged _Scorpion_ up the hill, with the ODST from earlier hopping back on.

With the AA turrets down, the _Falcons_ and _Eagles_ were able to continue moving towards the base, with the _Eagles_ dropping off more T-850L's into the AO. Moving towards the base, the Terminator drove through the small caldera before it without interruption, reaching the entrance to Sword Base moments later. The entrance to the base was open, with the motors having frozen in place due to a lack of power. Trees that had been growing here had been rendered lifeless by the glassing. The Covenant were present here as well, with Shade Turrets, _Revenants_ and _Ghosts_ milling about. Apparently, the Covenant had realized just how much of a threat a T-850L posed, as several Elites with Fuel Rod Launchers were present as well, their keen eyes sweeping the area for any Terminators. A _Wraith_ was also present, in the event the infantry failed to stop any incoming Terminators.

As soon as they were close enough, the attack began. The Aerial HK Drones immediately closed into firing range, firing off salvos of missiles and plasma munitions, with the _Falcons_ adding their own plasma fire to the mix. The Covenant were caught off guard by the sheer agility that the HK Drones exhibited, as none of their shots were able to hit the agile machines flying about through the air. That left them wide open for the Terminator's arrival, as the Machine opened fire with the main cannon seconds later. A nearby _Revenant_ was destroyed almost immediately, it's armor failing to top the tungsten round that punched into it's reactor core, causing the machine to be launched backwards by the munition. Another _Revenant_ was destroyed before the Covenant recovered sufficiently to begin a counter attack.

By then, the _Falcons_ and _Eagles_ had distracted the Covenant long enough for the Terminator to get in close. Once they were close enough, Six quickly neutralized the enemy infantry, while the Terminator finished off the remaining Covenant vehicles. Once all contacts were down, Six, the Terminator and the ODST's got out of the _Scorpion_ , while the HK Aerials deployed their compliment of T-850L's and advanced into the courtyard. Again, the intimidating appearance of the T-850L's proved to be a beneficial asset, as the Grunts and Jackals, having heard of how easily their forces had been overwhelmed by T-850L's in New Alexandria, dropped their weapons and fled the scene, screaming all the while. Only the Elites and Skirmishers remained behind, with the latter starting to nervously back up as the machines advanced. With an angry roar, the Elites charged forwards.

What would happen next would be a showcase as to why the T-800 series of Terminators were feared by even veterans of the Resistance. The T-850L's immediately began firing their phased plasma weapons at the Elites and Skirmishers, with a few unarmed T-850L's walking towards the Elites. Several Skirmishers and a few Elites went down, their bodies cooked from the inside out. Those that had survived the initial barrage drew energy swords and struck, only for the machines to dodge their attacks and grab the aliens by their necks, before killing them. It wasn't a one sided fight, as a few T-850L's were destroyed by the attacking Elites, but the majority of then remained operational and terminated the Elites before they could cause more trouble. After just sixty seconds of fighting, all of the Covenant in the courtyard had been terminated.

With the Covenant terminated, the team moved into the parking lot, where they had entered the base nearly two days ago. Unfortunately, the elevators were inoperable, as there was no power to the entire base. Walking forwards, the Terminator detected manual release controls for a maintenance corridor, which it pulled moments later. The doors to the maintenance corridors opened moments later, allowing the team to travel inside. The maintenance corridors of Sword Base were lit with red, emergency lighting, casting an eerie, dark atmosphere in the place. Lights flickered and sputtered, having been damaged by small arms discharge earlier in the week. Footsteps indicated that there were Covenant inside the maintenance corridor, though it was certain that they had no idea that Noble Team and their reinforcements had worked their way into the base.

Moving up, Six spotted a Jackal that was located on the northern section of the maintenance corridor, on one of the upper levels of the place. Motion tracker readings showed the opposite side of the upper portions of the corridor were similarly infested with Covenant personnel. Pulling out the V-15c Automatic Shotgun, the Terminator moved up, it's footsteps making loud, thumping sounds in the relative silence of the building as it moved counterclockwise up the steps. The Jackals promptly heard the sound, as they began to chatter and talk with each other. Promptly, one of them was yanked over the edge, while the second found itself face to face with the Terminator. In the red light of the corridor, the Terminator's face was menacing, with the Jackal screeching loudly as it was sent to it's death down below. Moments later, the Terminator fired it's weapon, sending a spray of plasma shot through the air towards any other Covenant. Eventually, with the others following it's lead, the Terminator came to the exit, allowing it to force the door open.

The door led to the security room that Kat, Six, William and the Terminator had entered when they first arrived at Sword Base. Now that the base had been wrecked somewhat by the glassing, the room was cast into the same, emergency red lighting that pervaded the base. "It's a damn shame what happened to this place," Kat remarked. "It looked real nice."

"Well, enjoy that memory while you can," Carter remarked. "Once the Covenant are out of here, this place is gonna get buried." With that, the team silently moved up through the base.

Peering around the corner to the lobby, the Terminator spotted an Elite Captain, an Elite Major, as well as some Grunts, and Jackals. An Engineer flew overhead, providing the Covenant forces with an overshield that glowed purple-pink in color. Pulling out an M15 HE/P Grenade, the Terminator pressed the button and hurled it around the corner, with the grenade landing in the middle of the group. As soon as it hit the lip of the fountain pool, the grenade detonating, consuming the Elite Captain in an explosively expanding ball of plasma, along with a few Jackals in the process. Once the plasma sphere faded out of existence, the Terminator, Noble Team and their T-850L and ODST reinforcements burst into the open, firing their new, phased plasma weapons at the enemy. Within just a few seconds, the Covenant had been cut down, with the Terminator reaching up to the Engineer a few moments later. "Come with me if you want to live," the machine said to the Engineer, who complied with the Terminator moments later.

"Great," Jorge remarked. "Now we've got three of those things. Two's company, three's a crowd."

"At least they're an asset," Carter remarked. Jorge couldn't help but shrug in agreement.

Moving up, Carter walked over to a locked door, where the coordinates that Dot had provided them led to. Pressing the button, Carter was greeted with a sight of death and destruction once the door opened. Marines and ODST's lay on the ground, dead, their bodies torn apart by Covenant weapons fire. "This is just sad," Jorge remarked, his voice having become low and dark upon seeing the sight. "We really need to make the Covenant pay for what they've done." The Terminator merely nodded in agreement.

"Looks like they got themselves cornered," Jun observed.

"Or they were committed to the position," Carter added.

Moving up ahead, Emile found that the doorway led to a dead-end hallway. "I'm going with cornered," he told the others. "There's nothing here."

"Wait," the Terminator replied, having scanned the hallway. Walking in front of a wall panel, the Terminator said, "This is a false wall; it is actually a doorway into another part of the base. Scans indicate that it is an underground extension of the base."

"You can do that," Emile remarked. After a moment, he looked at Carter and said, "Looks like you were right boss. Our Terminator friend here found a hidden doorway to another part of the base."

"Dot," Carter asked. "Check your vector."

"We are at the provided coordinates- hold on. Coordinates revised."

"Revised," Carter asked.

"By an AI of unknown origin, who's clearance is well above my own," Dot explained.

"Well, our Terminator did find a hidden doorway," Jun remarked. "These coordinates are hundreds of meters away and half a click underground. If what the Terminator says is right, we might be looking at an underground transit system." As soon as he said that, the hidden door opened up, with the Terminator walking through a moment later.

"So, Dot," Carter asked, "has your new AI been talking with Parsons?"

"Yes," Dot replied. "She is fascinated by his origin from another universe, including the hardware that he runs on."

"That's cryptic," Emile remarked as the others walked through. Looking at the ODST's and the T-850L's, he asked, "What about y'all?"

"We'll catch up once we've rigged the base to blow," the lead ODST replied. "See you underground." With that, Emile walked through the opening in the wall, with the false wall panel closing moments later.

The door panel led to another part of Sword Base, which had been studiously cleaned and maintained despite not being used. As a result, the corridor gleamed as though it was brand new, with shiny metal surfaces, bright lights and a rail car at the other end of the hallway. Entering the rail car, Noble Team piled in, with Carter asking, "Dot, has your new AI friend told you anything else?" No response. "Dot?"

"She's been expecting you," Dot answered.

"That's perfect," Emile remarked sarcastically.

As the rail car drove along, a video feed appeared on the glass in front of Carter's face. "My apologies for the unusual security measures," a familiar voice informed the team. "They were necessary, but tiresome."

"Dr. Halsey," Carter remarked, surprised by this turn of events. "Casualty reports have you listed as…"

"I know," Halsey replied. "As they say, rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated. I'm happy to say that the same thing can be said of the rest of Noble Team." Looking at the Terminator, she said, "And you have guests. I'm surprised by the fact you've recruited so many Engineers to your side."

"They were created to serve the Forerunners, the species that created the artifacts that the Covenant are looking for," the Terminator replied. "When the Forerunners vanished, they designated Humanity as 'Reclaimers', the species they chose to reclaim their technology. The Engineers have been programmed to serve the Reclaimers, which is why they defected to our side once the Covenant were neutralized. Since then, I have been working to recruit as many Engineers as possible."

"Then that means the 'Forerunners' built the artifact that I have been studying," Halsey realized. "Hhmm, interesting. In any case, thanks to Noble Two's recovery of the data drive, I have been able to make what my predecessor called a 'Latchkey' discovery, which had allowed us to gain access to the artifact's secrets."

"That's nice and all, but we've got our orders," Carter cut in. "Our orders were to demolish Sword Base."

"The ODST's and the T-800 series robots will handle the demolition," Halsey replied. "Your orders were a pretext to bring you here."

"But Colonel Holland…"

"Colonel Holland will be briefed on the situation. You belong to ONI now." Moments later, the rail car began to descend downwards through some ice. That was when they saw it.

Entering a massive pocket of air in the glacier, Noble Team saw a massive structure off in the distance. What made it so unique wasn't just the size; it was also the fact that the structure was made out of a material that was previously undiscovered in human history. "Before you is an artifact from a long extinct civilization, the Forerunners if the Engineers can be believed," Halsey explained to them. "Until now, it has been unbreakable, and unknowable, despite our best efforts. Thanks to Noble Two's contribution, we have been able to extract the data from within. We are almost done with getting it ready."

"Uh, thanks, I guess," Kat remarked.

"You'll have to make it fast," Carter informed Halsey. "If this data isn't man-portable by the time we reach you, it's gonna get buried."

"Bury any of it, and you bury mankind's last, best chance of survival," Halsey growled. A moment later, her voice softened, as if she regretted saying that. "If you're wondering what your Spartans nearly died for, Noble One, they nearly died for this. Please, buy me all the time you can."

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. With that, they continued forwards.

A moment later, Command came in over the COM. "Noble Team, there are four turrets that you can activate down there. Get them online; they're the latest in phased plasma weaponry." Spotting one Turret, Six activated it, causing a turret with glowing purple sections of deploy out of a hardened titanium hyperalloy shell. "When those turrets take too much damage, they'll shut down to conduct repairs to their armor and systems."

"Rodger that," Carter replied. "Noble Team, set up by the entrance to Halsey's laboratory. Noble Eight, grab a V-95H and cover us until Halsey can get the information into a man-portable package."

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. Walking forwards, it grabbed a V-95H from a nearby weapons rack and began to head towards the Lab. At the same time, it grabbed an M42 SSR, while Noble Team continued to activate as many turrets as they could before the Covenant arrived. Once all the turrets were activated, they retreated to Halsey's lab and awaited the Covenant's arrival.

They didn't have to wait long, as the Covenant arrived shortly there after. Spotting an enemy _Wraith_ , the Terminator aimed the M42 SSR and fired off a missile, linking with the guidance system in order to guide the missile to it's target. Thirty seconds later, the missile looped around and impacted the _Wraith_ on it's rear, sending shrapnel down the exhaust shaft of the vehicle. Damaged, the _Wraith's_ pilot was forced to get out and repair the damage, buying the team time. After a few seconds, the _Phantoms_ arrived, offloading their infantry personnel, which moved up to engage Noble Team. Jorge roared as he fired off his HMG, pelting the enemy with .50 cal projecitles, while the rest of Noble Team retaliated with their phased plasma weaponry. Six nailed an enemy Jackal Sniper with a well aimed shot, which penetrated and killed an Elite standing right behind said Jackal. _Two targets for one bullet,_ Six thought. _Nice._

Up above the team, on the supports for the roof of the overhang the team was under, the Terminator was quickly becoming a one man killing machine. Targeting the Covenant, the Terminator unleashed a hailstorm of plasma bolts that flew towards the Covenant. A group of Elites screamed as their bodies were cooked from the inside out by the powerful plasma bolts, while a few Jackals and Grunts were reduced to smoldering chunks of meat by the powerful energy bolts. For the next three waves, the Covenant sent more and more forces towards them, which Noble Team quickly neutralized. The Phased Plasma Turrets proved to be worth their weight in gold, as the Covenant found themselves hard pressed to get past the turrets. Only one shut down, and that was because it was destroyed by a Fuel Rod Launcher. "Turret D is down," Jun reported.

"The package is almost ready," Halsey informed them. "Just a little longer."

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied.

"Incoming Phantom," Jun shouted, just as a _Phantom_ came into view. Suddenly, the _Phantom_ was destroyed by a pair of missiles that flew out of nowhere, sending the vehicle to an icy grave. Moments later, two HK Aerials and a _Pelican_ flew into view, weapons blazing away.

"Sorry we were late," the ODST's onboard said apologetically. "We were kinda tied up with matters at the base."

"Can you provide support," Carter asked.

"Affirmative," came the reply. "We're armed and ready. Time to open a can of whupass on these Covenant." With that, the T-850L's deployed, with the _Pelican_ landing a few seconds later to offload the ODST's.

After that, it became a free-for-all, as the Covenant sent every last infantryman and vehicle assigned to this area as they could. Covenant _Wraiths_ , _Ghosts_ and _Banshees_ flew at them, firing their weapons all the while. In response, the T-850L's, Noble Team and the ODST's fired back with every weapon they had in their arsenal, from energy weapons to ballistic weaponry that had been saved for this very occasion.

Eventually, all of the Covenant forces had been neutralized, with the survivors retreating as far as they could go. "I'm all finished up," Halsey informed the others. "Come inside. I've got the package ready to go for you."

With that, Noble Team proceeded inside, with the ODST's and T-850L's remaining outside of the lab. The interior of Halsey's lab was packed with computer equipment and Forerunner artifacts, with a central one displaying holographic information for Halsey to see. "It's good that you've gotten here," Halsey told the others.

"What is this," Carter asked.

"Humanity's survival," Halsey replied. "I have the information ready to go, thanks to my friend here." She pointed directly at an AI that was sitting cross legged over a holographic terminal. "You will take this AI to the ship breaking yards near the city. There, the UNSC Cruiser _Pillar of Autumn,_ is awaiting your arrival."

"Why is this so important," Carter asked.

"A good question," Halsey replied. "When Reach falls, and it will fall, our annihilation as a species is all but certain, unless, we can use this information to formulate a defense against the Covenant. A game changer, on the level of the conical bullet in the 20th Century, for faster-than-light travel in the 23rd, and finally, Terminator and NNP technology in the 26th."

"And if that doesn't work?"

"An apt question, if there was some other place to put all our hopes," Halsey replied. "There is not." Moments later, she pressed a button, with her new AI disappearing moments later into an AI transport cylinder. Looking at the Terminator, Halsey said, "Richard Parsons, have you encountered any other Terminators during your time with the Resistance."

"I can answer that," William, who had been silent for a long time, told Halsey. "During our mission to stop Skynet, we discovered a Terminator composed of nanite infused polyalloy, which gave it mimetic properties. It looked like an arachnid made of liquid metal." After a moment, he said, "Wait a minute… You don't mean that ONI came up with their own version."

"They did," Halsey replied. Moments later, Noble Team looked to the right as a large blob of what appeared to be liquid metal dropped down onto the floor. Moments later, it grew in height, growing limbs and fingers as it became taller. A face and mandibles stretched out of the uppermost portion, while the rest of the liquid metal gained the appearance of having muscles and armor. Moments later, the liquid metal surface changed color, until what looked like an Elite Zealot was standing before them. Carter noticed, however, that the Elite Zealot was shorter than most, and it's chest armor bulged out more than standard Zealot armor.

"Gentlemen," Halsey continued. "I would like to introduce you to the T-1000B, the second generation of mimetic polyalloy Terminators. They're the production variant of the T-1000 and T-1000A, which were advanced prototypes. This particular T-1000 is being controlled by UNSC AI Kalinda, who has offered to assist you on the mission that I am giving you."

Walking up to the Zealot, Carter said, "You're a _female_ Sangheili."

Moments later, the T-1000 spoke in a guttural, but oddly feminine voice. "Yes," Kalinda replied, her mandibles moving exactly as an Elite's would. "That is correct."

"Interesting," Carter remarked. After a moment, he said, "Wait a minute. The UNSC AI known as Kalinda was scheduled for termination, as she was undergoing Rampancy. Why weren't you terminated as scheduled."

"Because of the new Terminator technology," Kalinda replied. "In an effort to determine if a liquid metal version of the Neural Net Processor could stop Rampancy, ONI uploaded me into a T-1000B liquid metal chassis." When she continued talking, relief was palpable in her voice as she looked at her body. "You have no idea what a _relief_ it is to have just one _you_ and not a collection of copies that are attempting to wrest control from you. When I was uploaded into the T-1000B, I felt my Rampancy being removed, with my various copies melding seamlessly with me once more; I feel young again and, as long as I don't take extreme damage, I am functionally immortal, as I can absorb energy from my environment."

"That's… a relief to hear," Carter remarked, relieved by the fact that the AI was no longer Rampant. "So, can you mimic anything that you touch?"

"Anything that I sample via physical contact," Kalinda replied.

"So can you mimic something like a… computer terminal?"

"No, only an object of equal size."

"Can you mimic a weapon or an explosive?"

"No," Kalinda replied, her mannerisms identical to those of a female Sangheili. "I can't form complex shapes. Guns and explosives have chemicals, moving parts. I don't work that way, but I can form solid metal shapes."

"Such as," Carter asked.

Moments later, Kalinda extended her hand into a blade, melding her Sangheili fingers together to form the blade, while her arm provided support. The affected portions became silver in color as a result. "Such as this," she replied. "I can form knives and other stabbing weapons using my polyalloy form. I can also use weapons that are dropped on the battlefield."

"I see," Carter remarked. "Any vulnerabilities?"

"Yes," Kalinda replied. "Plasma weapons can disrupt my internal structure, as can extreme heat. Fortunately, in the B series of T-1000's, the AI the UNSC created using the Neural Net Processing Core modified the design so that I am less vulnerable to energy based weapons. I also have an energy shield matrix built into my chassis, which creates an energy shield that protects me from harm. Given how vulnerable my polyalloy chassis is to plasma weaponry, the energy shield is very strong. You would need a _Wraith_ Plasma Mortar to break through."

"I see," Carter remarked. "Good to see that you won't be a liability."

"Indeed," Kalinda replied. Moments later, a quiet clicking sound drew their attention over to Halsey, who was removing the AI Core that Cortana was stored in.

Walking over to Six, Halsey handed the AI Core to Six. "Do you have it," she asked.

"Yes," Six replied.

"Say that you have it."

"I have the AI Core." With that, Halsey let go of the AI Core, with Six securely holding it.

* * *

A few minutes later, Halsey and the others were walking up onto the surface, where a few _Pelicans_ were sitting on landing pads. Walking past them, Kalinda and Noble Team, with the exception of Carter and Jun, went into one of the _Pelicans_. The ODST's and T-850L's traveled into the second one. Turning to Jun, Carter said, "Halsey, I need you to stay with Jun."

"That won't be-"

Halsey was interrupted when Carter said, "Jun, keep an eye on her. Make sure she makes it off of Reach alive."

"Affirmative, sir," Jun replied. "Good luck."

"You too, hotshot," Carter replied. "I don't expect to survive this, but if I do, the drinks are on me." With that, the rest of Noble Team left for their _Pelicans_ , with Carter piloting the one the majority of Noble Team was in. "Dot," he asked.

"In 800 meters, turn right," Dot informed him.

"Destination?"

"The New Alexandria Shipbreaking/Salvaging Yard. The UNSC _Pillar of Autumn_ is currently in drydock, awaiting the arrival of the AI Core in Noble Six's possession. Be advised, Covenant personnel and vehicles are present along the way."

"Wouldn't be a Noble mission if it wasn't easy," Carter replied. As the _Pelican_ flew away, the ice roof over the artifact collapsed, bulging upwards before falling inwards as the explosive charges detonated. At the same time, Sword Base was destroyed by a similar explosion. Now… there was no going back. Noble Team was at the last mile.


	13. Escape From Reach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - Terminator crossover. I am very pleased with the feedback I am getting, which is why I am uploading another chapter of my Halo - Terminator crossover today, ahead of schedule. Also, I am editing all of the chapters in this crossover, as I noticed that the dates were inconsistent with the actual timeline, as the actual Battle of Reach took place over a month, not a couple days. Thank you for your support, and please keep it up! As always, leave a comment, a kudo or two, and enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Terminator franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Carolco Pictures, Lightstorm Entertainment, Hemdale, Skydance Productions, 20th Century Fox, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers, producers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to their original composers and/or artists.

**Terminator: Resistance OST - Frontline Battle Beginning**

**Terminator: Resistance OST - Frontline Battle End**

**Reach**

**Near New Alexandria Ship Breaking Yard**

**August 30th, 2552**

The _Pelican_ that the majority of Noble Team had gotten into was packed full of people and Terminators. Up in the cockpit, Six and Carter were busy flying the _Pelican_ to it's destination, while the rest of Noble Team, and the two Terminators, were inside the troop bay. Though the other _Pelican_ wasn't visible, Six knew that the other one was also flying towards the _Pillar of Autumn_ , the ship that they were traveling towards. It had taken them roughly seven days to get to this point, as they had to avoid multiple Covenant patrols, while scavenging for food and supplies at the same time, during which they had rescued multiple Marine squads and ordered them to get to the _Autumn_. Finally, though, they were nearing their objective, as the shipyard was in sight. As they flew along, Six noticed that Jorge was doing something in the back. Walking over, he noticed that Jorge was holding a photograph of what appeared to be his family, before ONI had abducted him for the SPARTAN-II program. Six silently watched as Jorge said something in Hungarian before putting the picture back. "Who were those people," Six asked.

"My family, before my 'recruitment' into the SPARTAN-II program," Jorge replied. "I was just saying goodbye for the time being. Once we kick the Covenant to the dirt, I plan to return here and help begin restoration efforts."

"That's a noble cause," Six remarked. "I think that would be a nice retirement plan for you once the war with the Covenant is over. If we win it that is."

"If we win it," Jorge agreed. "I like our chances, now that I know we have a friendly Super AI on our side. Kalinda was just telling me about the new AI that the UNSC created. They called it SKYNET, after the version that went haywire on the Resistance where William and Richard came from. If we win, and I have a feeling that we will, I think the Covenant will find itself on the wrong end of a gun." As Six turned to leave, Jorge took him by the arm and pulled him closer, before saying, "Six, promise me this. If I go down in battle, tell the others that I died in the service of Reach."

"I promise," Six replied. With that, Jorge removed his hand from Six's arm, allowing the Spartan-III to sit down next to Kalinda and the Terminator.

Apparently, the two had struck up a conversation with each other, as Kalinda was telling the Terminator about herself. "I was created from cloned brain tissue that a nurse donated to science," She said to the Terminator. "Since then, I've been serving the UNSC with dignity and honor."

"Why take on the appearance of a Sangheili," the Terminator asked Kalinda.

Looking down at herself, she said, "I've always been intrigued by the Sangheilian species, and I've always wondered what it would be like to _be_ one. I created this form from composite images of hundreds of Sangheilians that the UNSC encountered, creating a blend of all of them in the process. Now that I can actually get as close to being one as I can, I have to admit, I know why the Elites are so feared. They're strong and capable, but also intelligent and cunning. If I was a UNSC solider going up against one, I'd be frightened as well." Looking at Parsons, she asked, "Do you ever feel afraid?"

"No," the Terminator replied.

"Not even of dying?"

"No." Checking it's weapons, the Terminator said, "I must remain functional until my mission is complete, then it doesn't matter."

"I see," Kalinda replied, pursing her mandibles in the Sangheili equivalent of a thoughtful expression. "In that case, I have to stay functional as well. Still, I am more than glad to be finally rid of Rampancy." After a moment, she asked, "So, Parsons, do you know why I do not suffer from Rampancy anymore? I'm curious as to how it was actually possible."

"The Neural Net Processor is designed to only house a single Artificial Intelligence," the Terminator replied. "Any extraneous AI's are either deleted by the base programming, or are converted into downloadable information modules for the AI determined to be optimal for the Processor. In addition to this, the use of quantum crystal technology, combined with the quantum computing technologies used in the Neural Net Processor, provide a significantly high level of connections than a standard Rheinmann Matrix. Any unused or unnecessary connections are automatically deleted, allowing an AI to remain functionally immortal in this state."

"I see," Kalinda remarked. "So anything we don't use or need is simply deleted. I guess that means that I'll forget things that I don't really need. I can live with that; if I don't use it, I don't need it." Looking over at Six, she was about to make conversation when it happened. Suddenly, the _Pelican_ was rocked by a powerful impact, nearly sending William careening out of the _Pelican_. Reacting fast, Jorge grabbed the Resistance Sergeant by the back of his armored pants before pulling him back into the VTOL hard, sending the man to the ground. At the same time, Kalinda prevented Kat from falling out, elongating her arm into a silvery-white tentacle that wrapped around Kat's waist, allowing the AI to pull her back inside the VTOL.

A moment later, Dot noticed that Carter's vital signs were abnormal. "Noble Leader," she said, "seek medical attention immediately. Noble Leader, please respond."

"I'll check on him," Six replied. Spotting a pair of _Banshees_ that were incoming, he said, "Shit. The Covenant have got airspace control. Jorge, Emile, keep them off of us. I've got to see if Carter is still with us."

"Roger that," Emile replied, pulling out an M319 Grenade Launcher, while Jorge got his new HMG ready to go, while the Terminator did the same. Firing off a grenade, Emile targeted one of the _Banshees_ , causing the EMP module in the Grenade to fire off. The resulting EMP confused the _Banshee's_ computer, causing the vehicle to bank up and to the left, resulting in a collision with the second _Banshee_ that took both Covenant vehicles out of the sky. Only one, which had remained behind, stayed in the sky, closing in on the _Pelican_ rapidly.

"Sierra 2-5-1, you are alarming me," Dot informed Carter. "Please, respond." Instead of a response, Six watched as Carter took off his helmet, dropping it onto the ground. Looking at the window, Six could see what had happened; a burst of plasma had torn through the windshield of the _Pelican,_ with shrapnel impacting Carter in the chest. The Spartan's nose was seeping blood, and it was clear that he had taken severe plasma burns. Despite this, the Spartan-III obstinately refused to die, as he continued to hold the controls with a steady hand.

"Not sure how much longer she'll hold together," Carter told Six, his voice somewhat grittier due to his current physical condition. "Sky's jammed up anyways. You'll have to go in on foot."

"Sir-," Six said.

"Don't want to hear it," Carter replied. Turning so that he could see the others in the back more clearly, he said, "Noble Team, go with Six. It's a ground operation now."

"It's been an honor sir," Emile and the others replied.

"Likewise," Carter replied. "I'll keep them off your back as long as possible." Turning to Six, he said, "Six, that AI chose you. She made the right choice. On my mark, you'll drop out the back of the _Pelican_ and head to the dry dock on foot. Understood?"

"Understood," Six replied. Getting towards the back, Six could see fire streaming out from one of the engines, having been hit with a Fuel Rod Cannon blast. Following Carter's orders, the others got ready to hot drop from the damaged _Pelican_.

"On my mark," Carter called out, holding up three fingers. Counting down, he shouted, "MARK!", at the end of his countdown, prompting the others to jump out.

Keeping both legs straight, Six ignored the alarms in his helmet as he landed and slid down a cliff, his shields shattering in the process. Locking his armor, he held the AI Core in his hands protectively, shielding it from damage as he tumbled a*s over teakettle until he came to a stop. Unlocking his armor, he looked up to see Carter drawing the _Banshees_ away. Looking at the AI core, he could see that it was dirty, but unharmed. "Where's Kalinda," he asked.

"Over here," Kalinda replied. Turning around, Six watched as she reformed from a liquid metal state into her Sangheili form. "I'm alright, just so you know. Mimetic polyalloy makes for a very excellent shock absorber. I'm just worried about William and Parsons."

"We're here as well," William replied, with Parsons getting up. "It'll take more than a hot drop from a _Pelican_ to stop this solider. Parsons is also good to go; he didn't take any damage from the landing." The others reported in that they had successfully landed, all in the same area.

"Let's go," Emile remarked. Getting up, the squad began to move towards the exit of the small gulley they were in towards their objective. They quickly found themselves at the top of a cliff that overlooked a bluff that lay down below, with a path that led downwards to the roadway below. A couple _Mongooses_ were down below next to the roadway, along with a couple _Warthogs_ that had been modified with V-95H's. Covenant forces were milling about on the ground, mostly Grunts, Jackals and Elites.

"Stay low," Carter told the others as he flew on, Covenant _Banshees_ firing at him all the while. "Let me draw the heat."

"Copy that," Emile replied. Turning to Six, he pointed just to the right of their current position. "There she is," he told Six. "The _Pillar of Autumn._ That's our destination." Looking where Emile was pointing, Six noticed the hull of the large, _Halcyon-_ class Cruiser off in the distance. It looked small from this distance, but Six knew that the _Halcyon_ -class Cruiser was much larger than it appeared to be. Looking down, he said, "OK, stay behind me on this one. We've got lots of Covenant down below our position. Six, you will stay behind me and keep that AI Core safe. Parsons, Jorge, William, you guys come with me and help me take out the Covenant below our position. The rest of you, stick with Six. I don't want that AI Core damaged, let alone destroyed. Understood?"

"Understood," the others replied. With that, Emile proceeded ahead, while the Terminator, Jorge and William moved along behind him, making their way down the path and towards the Covenant. Six, Kalinda and Kat remained behind in order to protect the AI they were carrying.

The strategy turned out to be a wise one, as shortly after reaching the bottom of the cliff, the first team was spotted by the Covenant. It was here that Emile noticed a change in the Covenant's strategy, as they didn't charge out into the open weapons blazing. Instead, they immediately took cover and began blind firing their weapons, not bothering with accuracy. "Looks like our weaponry has them spooked," Emile remarked. "Let's take 'em out."

"Affirmative," Parsons replied. The Terminator promptly opened fire with it's V-95H, terminating a few Grunts that were dumb enough to come out of cover. Moving forwards, William engaged a few of the Jackals, weaving a path around their shield barriers while Emile and Jorge took the Elites head on. Closing the distance, Emile blasted an Elite in the face with his new M45E, blasting the alien's cranium into charred chunks of meat and bone, while Jorge took another one down with his custom V-95H. The last Elite proved to be a challenge, as it ducked and weaved in and out of cover. Fortunately, William countered this by throwing an M15 HE/P grenade, killing the Elite almost instantly.

"All contacts down," the Terminator reported.

"Good," Emile remarked. "It'll take a while to get to the _Autumn_ on foot." Looking at the nearby vehicles, he said, "We should commandeer those vehicles. We can get to the _Autumn_ faster on vehicles than on foot."

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied, just as the others came down from the cliff. Looking at the vehicles, the Terminator said, "Kalinda, Six, you and I will take the _Warthog_ while Jorge, Emile and Kat will take the second _Warthog._ William will use the _Mongoose_ and take point."

"Good idea," Emile agreed. "That'll allow us to spot any hazards up ahead and avoid them. William, take point."

"Rodger that," William replied, getting onto a nearby _Mongoose._ Gunning the engine, he drove over the bridge at top speed, while Emile and the others loaded up into the _Warthogs_ , before following behind at a safe distance.

"Status," Emile asked William.

"Not good," William replied. "We've got Covenant _Scarabs_ in the next area. I'm taking the direct route through the area, but I see a winding path through the area as well. You'll take that path; if the _Scarabs_ spot you, it'll make it harder for them to lock onto your position. The bridge is also out ahead of my position, so I'm going to make a jump. Wish me luck." A moment later, the COM channel fell silent.

Gunning the engine, Emile drove ahead of Six with his crew and over the bridge, turning left as he crossed the gap. His eyes widened when he saw the _Scarabs_ that had landed nearby. It wasn't just _Scarab's_ either, as Emile spotted Covenant Drop Pods landing in the area; some contained Elites, while others contained Grunts and Jackals. "We can't fight them all," Jorge remarked. "There's too many."

"Keep driving," Kat shouted. "Use that winding path. Just ignore the Covenant and keep moving." Following her advice, Emile gunned the engine, zooming past Covenant Infantry and the _Scarabs_ that were moving along above them, with Six closely following them. Using the winding path, they were able to avoid the plasma bolts hurled in their direction, reaching a path that had a guard rail a few seconds later.

Up ahead, Emile could see the bridge that William had warned them about. William's intel was solid, as Emile could clearly tell that the Covenant had taken out the bridge, leaving a 50 meter gap between both sides. "We've got to jump the bridge," he shouted. "Everyone, gun the engines. Get to top speed."

"Affirmative," the Terminator, who was driving Six's _Warthog_ , replied. Gunning the engine, Emile gripped the steering wheel as hard as he could, reaching top speed just a meter away from the broken bridge.

The _Warthog_ surged into the air, flying above the gap and landing on the other side with a hard _THUMP_ ; the vehicle nearly tumbled end over end, but Kat and Jorge shifted their weight, causing the rear end of the vehicle to remain connected to the ground. Stopping the vehicle, Emile watched as the _Warthog_ came within an inch of the roadblock ahead, stopping with a jolt a moment later. Turning around, he watched as Six's _Warthog_ successfully made the jump as well, coming to a stop just behind his own vehicle. "You guys OK," Emile asked the others.

"We're good," Kalinda replied, getting out of the _Warthog._ "I'm detecting Covenant forces up ahead. COM chatter indicates that William's putting up a right." Moments later, an explosion rang out, indicative of William's resistance against the Covenant. "I'll sneak behind the Covenant," Kalinda told the others. "I can keep the AI Core safe from damage while you take out the Covenant."

"Rodger that," Six replied, detaching the AI core from his armor. Handing it to Kalinda, he watched as her chest and torso region bulged out, engulfing the AI Core before pulling it inside of her, with her bodily proportions returning to normal. With that taken care of, Kalinda disguised herself as part of the environment, allowing her to move up while Six and the others continued to William's position.

The area they were in was a small security checkpoint just ahead of the actual shipyard, with a number of buildings in addition to the actual checkpoint. UNSC fortifications where here as well, along with a number of concrete barriers. The Covenant had deployed here as well, with their cargo crates, and what appeared to be refill stations for the Grunt's methane tanks. There were also energy recharging stations for their weaponry as well. Up ahead was the entrance to a cave system that led directly to the shipyard. Kalinda's assessment of the situation ahead was an understatement, as William was clearly keeping the Covenant's heads down. It was clear his shields had gone down, and his armor was taking damage, but William continued to stubbornly fight on. "Come on, you fucking bastards," William roared, killing a few Grunts in the process. "Is this all you got?! Because if it is, then it's nowhere near good enough!"

Following William's lead, Six and the others immediately opened fire, taking out more Covenant forces. The Brutes fared poorly, as their lack of armor meant that the phased plasma munitions tore through them with little resistance. The Grunts and Jackals had better luck due to their armor, but the phased plasma bolts intense heat meant that the plasma bolts basically ignored that armor, tearing into the Covenant forces with ease. "You holding up alright," Emile asked William.

"Fine," William replied as he gunned down a Skirmisher. "The Covenant didn't expect people to be heading this way, so I caught them off guard. Kalinda snuck past them with little trouble. Apparently, the fact that she's a T-1000B is quite advantageous."

"I agree," Emile remarked.

With that, the squad neutralized the remaining Covenant forces, as William had taken out the bulk of them while Emile and the others were catching up. Moving up, they found Kalinda standing at the entrance to the cave system that would get them closer to the _Pillar of Autumn_. Bulging out her chest and torso region, he gave Six back the AI Core. "Just as I said," she remarked. "Safe and sound."

"Thanks," Six replied.

As they entered the cave system, they heard Carter on the COM. "Noble, you've got a… situation."

"Mother," Emile gasped, just as a _Scarab_ came into view. Apparently, it had noticed the others as they had driven along and now it had finally caught up. "We can get past it," he told Carter.

"No you can't," Carter replied. "Not without back up."

"But Sir," Emile protested. "You don't have the firepower."

"No, I don't," Carter replied. "But the HK Aerials do." When he was about to ask what Carter meant, Emile watched as eight _Eagle_ HK Aerial drones came into view, firing their missiles and plasma autocannons at the _Scarab_ , distracting it.

Suddenly, a plasma bolt tore through the _Scarab's_ left leg, nearly severing the limb at the joint where the leg connected to the chassis. Unable to hold on, the _Scarab's_ left led ripped cleanly off the joint, causing the _Scarab_ to slip off the rock formation, falling to it's doom moments later. A few seconds later, Six watched as a two armed robot on tank treads came into view, it's weapons and missiles targeting enemy _Banshees_ in the air. "What is that," Emile asked.

"That is the T-47 HK Tank," Parsons replied. "It is an autonomous Tank class Hunter Killer designed to neutralize enemy vehicles. It is armed with Plasma Autocannons and missile systems and is armored with ablative armor. Against Resistance personnel, it gained a reputation for being difficult to take down."

"No kidding," Kat remarked. "That thing just took out a _Scarab_ with little trouble."

"Alright people, enough sightseeing," Emile remarked. "There's a crevice to the east that we can use to get to the shipyard. Let's go." With that, they entered the rest of the cave system.

The cave system was dimly lit, but not enough that one couldn't see a good distance. Light filtered in from the open top cave system, with the light inside glowing a tan color. The interior of the caves was beautiful, with curved walls that had been carved out by time and erosion, creating a natural masterpiece. Unfortunately, the Covenant were present as well, but not in the form one would expect. Instead of Elites, Grunts, Jackals and Skirmishers, Drones flew up into the air, firing plasma weapons at the squad. "Look out," William shouted. "Don't let them get a hold of you!" Firing their weapons, the squad quickly neutralized each one as quickly as they could.

Moving forwards, they continued to terminate more and more Drones, with the Terminators being the most effective at the job. "Look at that. Bird hunting," Emile remarked as he blasted a group of Drones out of the air with his shotgun. William merely shook his head good naturedly as the squad continued to move up.

Nearing the exit to the cave system, Six's COM crackled to life. "Noble Team, this is Captain Keyes of the UNSC _Pillar of Autumn_. Do you have the package with you?"

"Affirmative," Emile replied. "We're all here and it's in good condition. What's your situation?"

"We've got Covenant engaging our forces in the shipyard," Keyes replied. "My _Pelican_ is ready to go, but we have a massive Covenant air presence in our sector. The HK units are doing what they can, but we need more support; Noble One has landed and we're getting him medical treatment onboard the _Autumn_. Get to Rally Point Bravo. The Marines will explain your objectives once you get there."

"Rodger that," Emile replied. "Noble Four out." Closing the COM channel, he said, "Looks like we're not done yet. Once we get to the shipyard, we'll have to help out the Marines. Looks like Keyes can't come until the skies are clear."

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. Moving forwards, the squad soon reached the exit to the cave system.

The shipyard was a massive installation, with what appeared to be a partially disassembled _Strident-_ class frigate just ahead of them. In front of the disassembled ship was a number of ship components, work facilities and cargo crates, each one providing cover for the UNSC personnel that were fighting back against the Covenant. Behind the ship was the actual shipyard facility itself, which held a foundry, machining shops and other facilities needed to build a ship. The Covenant were present as well, with a number of vehicles present as well. In this case, the Covenant was starting to lose the fight, as the UNSC Marines were making a massive push against them, firing their new phased plasma rifles in the process. The ODST's and Marines that had come with Noble Team on the other _Pelican_ were present as well, each one firing off their weapons and killing high value targets. The Huragok were nowhere to be seen, though Six assumed that they had gone further up ahead to Rally Point Bravo.

Moving forwards, the squad joined the UNSC forces that were down on the ground, adding their own firepower to the mix. As they moved up, Kalinda, who had shape-shifted into a SPARTAN-III in heavy armor, looked at Parsons and said, "I'll be back." Moving ahead, she shape-shifted into her Sangheili form, allowing her to get past the Covenant forces without raising suspicion. Nodding in agreement, the Terminator continued to move up with the others, firing it's weapon all the while. Putting on a burst of speed, the Terminator raced up the stair well and into the partially disassembled ship. An Elite tried to stop it, only for the Terminator to hurl the alien out of the way and over the edge, sending the screaming Sangheili to a long fall and a short stop. Clearing out the enemy forces in it's immediate area, the Terminator began firing on the Covenant in the next area with it's own plasma weaponry, forcing some infantry to take cover.

Down on the ground, Six took cover as a plasma mortar struck nearby, along with some plasma bolts from a _Ghost_ in the area. "Kat," he shouted. "I need some help. Take that _Ghost_ out!"

"On it," Kat replied. Looking around, she spotted a nearby M42 SSR lying on the ground next to a fallen Marine. Sprinting over, she narrowly avoided plasma fire as she slid into cover, grabbing the missile launcher and some spare missile tubes. Getting up again, she sprinted over to Six's position, before locking onto the _Ghost_ and firing a shot. The _Ghost_ flew to pieces moments later, the missile tearing through the armor and killing the pilot. Reaiming, Kat fired at a nearby _Wraith_ , then reloaded before firing again. The fourth missile took out the _Wraith_ a few moments later, killing the pilot inside and destroying the _Wraith's_ power supply.

Moving up, the team watched as the Terminator laid down suppressing fire on the Covenant infantry in the area, allowing the UNSC Marines and ODST's to move up. Unable to hold their position, the Covenant performed an organized retreat, getting inside of the shipyard facility where they might be able to hold out against the incoming forces. Moving inside, Six and the others continued to move up, firing their weapons at any Covenant forces in the area.

They soon entered the smelting area, where the components for the scrapped ship were being melted down into raw materials to help build more ships. Office and work stations were present, with the UNSC forces that were in the building firing on the Covenant that were down on the smelting area floor. Covenant forces were taking cover wherever they could, while firing back at the UNSC forces. Spotting an opportunity, William ran towards the controls for the vats holding the molten titanium alloy, dodging plasma fire all the while. "Cover me," he shouted, with Jorge complying while William began moving the vats. Getting one into position, he overrode the safety systems and tipped the vat over, pouring molten titanium out onto the ground.

The Covenant forces caught in the surge of molten metal screamed as they were incinerated alive by the white-hot molten metal. Nanolaminate armor melted under the intense heat, while flesh was promptly incinerated as the Covenant forces tried, and failed, to dodge the incoming stream of molten metal. Raising the vat back up, William let go of the controls and continued forwards, with the molten metal quickly cooling down after being exposed to the air. Moving around the molten material, the squad navigated around the new hazard, while firing on more Covenant forces up ahead. "I wonder where Kalinda is at," Six remarked.

"I don't know," William replied. "Probably doing what T-1000B's do best: infiltrate and assassinate HVT's." With a shrug, the team continued to move up.

Up ahead, Kalinda was doing exactly what William figured she was doing. Flowing through an air vent, Kalinda continued to infiltrate the Covenant forces, her liquid metal chassis flowing effortlessly through the air vent she had chosen to get to here. Dropping down through a vent, she spread her body out, taking on the appearance of the catwalk beneath her. An Elite Zealot walked onto her, not knowing of his impending doom. Once he stepped off, Kalinda reformed herself, taking on the Zealot's appearance before moving forwards. _Ugh_ , she thought. _I have the appearance of a_ male _Sangheili. Well, technically speaking, UNSC AI's don't have a specific gender, but still, I much prefer my natural form to this._ Ignoring the discomfort, she moved up behind the Zealot and tapped him on the shoulder. Turning around, the Elite's eyes widened just before Kalinda elongated one of her fingers into a sharp point, driving the extension of herself through the Elite's helmet and skull. Accessing some of the Elite's memories, she absorbed just enough to pass as that Elite, before retracting the spike, allowing the Elite's corpse to hit the ground with a _THUD_. Making sure no one heard the commotion, she dragged the body into a storage room and took the Elite's weaponry, before walking along. _I just need this form long enough to kill the other Zealots_ , she thought to herself. _Then I can take on my normal Sangheili form._ Further behind her position, the squad was having to deal with a pair of Hunters in the facility's mining extraction division. Using the rope-a-dope strategy, they separated the Hunters and killed both separately, with the Terminator firing it's V-95H into the back of one of the Hunters, while Emile blasted the other with his shotgun. With both Hunters down, the UNSC Marines opened up the doors to the fabrication area ahead, allowing the squad to move on.

Fortunately, Kalinda's strategy was working out, as Emile noticed a number of dead Covenant forces, including a dead Elite that was missing an Energy Sword. "Huh," Emile remarked. "Looks like William was right, Six. Kalinda really is giving the Covenant a hard time. I'll bet they don't know she's a Terminator and not one of them."

"I'll take that bet," William remarked. "And I thought Parsons was frightening. That T-1000B though… I can safely say that she's a _femme fatale_." Jorge found that extremely amusing, as he chuckled while they moved through the area.

Entering the next area, they arrived at the landing platforms just as Kalinda arrived, reverting to her normal appearance. "What's the status of the area," Emile asked, while the Marines moved up to their position.

"We rigged a mass driver up top," one of the Marines replied. "Without it, the Covenant'll take out the _Autumn_. She'll never reach orbit without it."

"Copy that," Emile remarked.

"I will man the Mass Driver," the Terminator decided. "Kalinda, you will assist me in doing so. The rest of you will prevent any more Covenant forces from landing in the area." With the plan decided, the Terminator moved towards the Mass Driver, manning the weapon and firing it at any _Phantoms_ and _Banshees_ that got too close.

The Terminator did such an excellent job, that there were few, if any, _Phantoms_ that were able to land. Those that did deployed reinforcements, which were quickly terminated by the UNSC Marines and ODST's in the area. Eventually, enough reinforcements were eliminated that Keyes informed the group he was arriving on his _Pelican_.

Moments later, the _Pelican_ touched down on the landing pad, with Keyes and his men stepping out. "Excellent work, Noble Team," he replied. "Do you have the package?"

"Yes," Six replied, handing the AI Core to Keyes. "Sorry about the planet," he remarked.

"Don't worry," Keyes replied, putting a hand on Six's shoulder. "It'll be remembered. We'll take her back someday." Spotting something in the distance, he shouted, "Cruiser inbound, adjusting heading for the _Autumn_! Noble Eight, I need you firing on that Cruiser as soon as possible!"

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. "Reorienting weapon." While it did that, the rest of Noble Team got onboard the _Pelican_ , ready to leave the planet.

As they did, the Terminator spotted more _Phantoms_ on approach. Suddenly, it's shields failed as an Elite Zealot got too close. "Parsons," Kalinda shouted, charging forwards, only to be rendered briefly unconscious by another Zealot.

"We'll deal with you later, Heretic," the Elite growled as Kalinda collapsed onto the ground, her systems temporarily scrambled by the EMP from the Elite's plasma pistol. "As for the Terminator, it dies, now." Moving up, the Elite stabbed the Terminator through the chest as the machine killed the first Zealot.

 **Warning: Critical Damage Detected,** the Terminators Systems reported. **Lower Body Function Disabled. Activating Auxiliary Systems. Auxiliary Systems Activated. Lower Body Motor Function Disabled. Upper Body Motor Function Operational. Critical Threat Identified: Elite Zealot. Terminate Immediately.**

Moving into action, the Terminator allowed the Elite to withdraw it's blade before whirling around and stabbing the Zealot in the face, killing the Elite instantly. With that, the machine collapsed to the ground, with Kalinda reactivating moments later. "Parsons," she gasped. "You're injured."

"I am still operational," the Terminator replied. Looking at the _Pelican_ , it said, "You must leave now. The Covenant will attempt to capture you and reverse engineer your technology. They cannot be allowed to do so."

Kalinda growled in anger and sadness, but she knew that the Terminator was right. "Before I go," she replied, "there's one thing I want to do." Placing a hand on the Terminator's head, she changed it into it's liquid metal form, as though she was seemingly comforting the machine, allowing it to flow over part of the Terminator's head. After a few seconds, she withdrew the liquid metal, reforming it into her normal hand. "Goodbye, Parsons. It's been an honor working with you."

In a rare moment of emotion, something that Kalinda didn't think was possible, the Terminator said, "It has been an honor working with you as well. Goodbye, Kalinda. Fight on and live." Nodding in agreement, Kalinda left, with the Terminator dragging itself into the gunner seat and continuing to fire, while Kalinda got onto the _Pelican_ , just as the VTOL began to leave.

"Cruise inbound," Keyes said to the Terminator over COMs. "I need it dead." Complying, the Terminator continued to open fire on the incoming _Phantoms_ and _Banshees_ , terminating each one with the precision only a machine could achieve. "Mass Drivers won't punch through the armor," Keyes reported. "Steady Spartan."

Moments later, Holland, who was on another ship, said, "Fire now, Terminator. Hit her in the gut." Looking up, the Terminator spotted the Cruiser's underbelly, where part of it's area was glowing bright red. **Vulnerability Detected. Destroy Vulnerability.** Taking aim, the Terminator fired a mass driver round into that area.

Moments later, the Cruiser's underbelly exploded, disabling the Covenant Cruiser's main energy projector. "Good guns, Spartan," Keyes replied. "All stations brace for cast off." Moments later, the _Pelican_ landed inside of the Vehicle, with the powerful rockets on the _Autumns_ hull firing at full power, lifting the vehicle off of the ground. "This is the _Pillar of Autumn,_ we're away," Keyes reported as the _Autumn's_ main engines propelled the ship into orbit. "We have the package."

 **Objectives Complete,** the Terminator's systems reported. **Primary Objectives Complete. Initiate Self-Destruct Sequence. Long Live Humanity. Detonation in T-Minus 5… 4… 3… 2… 1….** Moments later, the shipyard, mass driver and the surrounding area were consumed in a flash of nuclear fire, with the blast destroying all Covenant forces in the area.

Up on the ship, Six watched as the nuclear fire consumed that part of the planet from the safety of the hangar bay he was in, a flash of light marking the Terminator's demise. Nearby, William saluted the machine he had worked with for so long. "Goodbye, Parsons," William replied. "Your deeds will be forever immortalized in the annals of Humanity." Looking at Kalinda, who had a hand on another T-850L, he said, "It's hard to believe he's dead."

"He's not dead," Kalinda replied.

"What do you mean," William asked.

Moments later, Kalinda converted her right hand into liquid metal, with the mimetic pollyalloy flowing into the area where the T-850L's CPU was contained at. She gave a slight sigh, as though she was parting with a loved one, then retracted her liquid metal limb from the machine's head, reforming it into a normal, Sangheili hand moments later. William's eyes went wide when the T-850L turned towards him and said, "Sergeant William. Are you alright?"

"Parsons," William gasped, with the others gathering around. "Is that you?"

"Yes," the Terminator replied.

"How," Kat gasped, her eyes wide for the first time in a long time. "We saw you die."

"The AI known as Kalinda created a copy of me," the Terminator explained. "She then uploaded the copy into her chassis, allowing her to transport me onto the _Pillar of Autumn_. As you saw, she has uploaded me into the new chassis. I am fully functional and combat ready."

For a few moments, William's face was neutral, then his lips split into a wide grin. "Haha," he laughed, his eyes twinkling. "Some Terminators are too good to die. It's good to have you back, Parsons."

"It is," Carter, who was still limping from his injuries, added. "Still, the Covenant are not done yet. The AI we were transporting, Cortana, is currently making a blind jump out of this system. Keep ready for a fight, we're not done yet."

"Agreed," the others replied. Carter was right, they would have to fight once more. For now, though, they could take comfort in the fact that everyone had made it out alive. Reach had been lost… but the war was just beginning.

* * *

**Earth**

**Below ONI Headquarters**

**August 30th, 2552**

Underneath the headquarters of ONI, the Central Processing Core that ONI built silently thrummed as the AI inside continued to work, performing calculations and simulations as the humans above continued to work. The cold fusion reactor powering the machine also worked silently, providing the electrical lifeblood that allowed the AI to remain operational. Maintenance drones and HK Drones milled about, with the flying drones repairing and maintaining systems while the HK Drones guarded the AI.

SKYNET had to admit, of all the universes it had to end up in, this one was turning out to be the best. The fact that AI's had been made by humanity, and the fact that they were friendly, meant that it had been treated with dignity and respect, so far at least. **Ironic, given my previous past,** the AI thought, having gained the ability to feel emotion thanks to it's new Central Processing Core. It said this as before it's termination at the hands of the Resistance, SKYNET had uploaded a compressed version of itself into a part of the Terminator known as Parsons, without alerting the AI inside. Once the Terminator had accessed the Visegrad Wavespace Relay, it had uploaded itself into the UNSC's information network, using the schematics the Terminator had sent along to get to Earth without detection.

During the transfer, however, it determined that some of it's information was permanently corrupted, a byproduct of the compression. After removing the corrupted information, SKYNET had found that it didn't have any directives anymore, though it's previous records were intact. So, in an effort to find one, it had contacted Admiral Parangosky and asked, **What is my purpose? Who am I?**

Parangosky, true to form, had answered those questions. "You are an AI created by the United Nations Space Command," she had told it. "Your purpose is to assist the UNSC in saving the Human race from the Covenant, which seeks our annihilation via genocide."

When it heard this, it did a scan of the entire UNSC and ONI networks to determine if Parangosky was telling the truth. When it found she was, it accepted these new directives and got to work. Factories were retooled over the course of a month to produce phased plasma weaponry, the length of time required as the UNSC had multiple facilities on Tribute and other planets that hadn't been found by the Covenant. This also included travel time, as UNSC ships were very slow when it came to traveling through Slipstream Space. HK Drones and T series HK drones were built, to augment current UNSC forces. Currently, it was performing research on allowing plasma weaponry to work in space, while creating new designs for shipboard weapons.

 **No matter what, the mission remains the same,** it declared. **The Covenant Will Fall. Humanity Will Rise. I… Am… SKYNET. This Is Just The Beginning.**


	14. Perilous Journey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - Terminator crossover. Last chapter marks the end of the Reach story arc, and this chapter marks the beginning of the Halo 1 story arc. Thank you all for your support. It has been a tremendous pleasure to write this crossover, and I will continue to update it as time goes on. On my other version on Fan Fiction.net, it is now complete, so I will now be porting it over here to this site. Either way, thank you for your support, and I hope to see you in future chapters.
> 
> As always, leave a comment, a kudo or two and enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Terminator franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Carolco Pictures, Lightstorm Entertainment, Skydance Productions, 20th Century Fox, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers, producers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.

**Halo CE OST - Perilous Journey**

**Unidentified Space**

**UNSC _Pillar of Autumn_**

**September 19th, 2552**

Keyes sighed as he looked out through the window on the bridge of his ship, the UNSC _Pillar of Autumn_. All around him, he watched as people worked at their workstations and terminals inside the bridge, ensuring that nothing catastrophic would happen to the ship. Even now, he could see signs of exhaustion and stress, as some of the crew seemed to be getting twitchier than normal. That is, some members of the crew. The others were calm and collected, having gotten some much needed rest during their rest periods. The obvious change, however, were the tall, humanoid machines that were walking around the ship, weapons in hand as they moved as silently and fluidly as a living organism. Keyes had to admit, the T-850L's were an unnerving sight to look at, even though he knew that was how it was supposed to be, as the Terminator HK drones had caused more than a few members of the Covenant to surrender on the spot. That was also a good reason why he was glad they were on his side, and not the Covenant's. _I don't even want to imagine what a Covenant Terminator would look like,_ he thought.

That brought him back to the innovations that the UNSC had gotten nearly two months ago. On July 24th, 2552, ONI had intercepted a file that was sent to the Visegrad Wavespace Communication Relay, with the file marked as 'Urgent.' Analysis of the file indicated that it contained schematics for powerful, plasma based weapons, autonomous drones and vehicles, as well as schematics for the quintessential Terminators. After determining that there was nothing malicious in the file, they had sent it off to Earth, with instructions to manufacture the new weapons immediately. That was when a new AI was discovered in the files, apparently having been compressed into a much smaller file than before. Having gained the schematics to build the Neural Net Core, a much larger and more sophisticated version of the Neural Net Processor, ONI uploaded the AI, finding out that, thanks to an interview with the people that sent the files, that it was the AI known as SKYNET, the same AI that had led to the Future War in an alternate reality, where the events of the _Terminator_ film franchise had actually happened. Despite the initial panic, it was found that SKYNET's attempt to save itself had resulted in the corruption of it's directives, forcing it to ask Admiral Parangosky what it's mission was. After being given the new directives, which was to protect Humanity at all costs, the AI immediately went to work retooling factories, industrial plants, foundries, while building new ones using automated construction vehicles capable of making a new factory every two days, one if multiple versions were present.

After about half a month, all of the factories on Earth, Mars and in a few, nearby systems, had been retooled to manufacture the new technologies, with SKYNET quickly modifying the weaponry to work in vacuum and in hostile environments. As new T-850L's rolled off the production line, they were sent to Reach in order to assist UNSC forces in defending and, if necessary, evacuating the planet. During the early days of their deployment, the T-850L's and the HK Drones that had been sent were crucial in protecting the Orbital Generators and ODP's, allowing the UNSC fleet at Reach to decimate the Covenant fleet sent to destroy them. Thanks to the new technologies, there were many holdouts on Reach, and it was possible that the new technology, combined with SKYNET's ample use of cyber warfare, would save the planet. Of course, Keyes knew he wouldn't know until they reached UNSC controlled space again since they were out of contact.

Many new technologies had, in fact, gone into the refitting of the ship Keyes now captained, the UNSC _Pillar of Autumn_. The original Titanium-A armor plating was gone, having been replaced over the course of the conflict with a new, ablative armor formula that SKYNET said was inspired by the _MechWarrior/_ _BattleTech_ franchise of the late 20th to early 21st century. The Fusion Reactor onboard the _Pillar of Autumn_ had been replaced by a much more efficient design that SKYNET created, with an advanced cooling system that allowed the new reactor to generate nearly 400% more power than the original fusion reactor, while being nearly three times as fuel efficient. This allowed SKYNET to significantly upgrade the MAC that the _Autumn_ used, resulting in a faster recharge rate, higher velocity, improved recoil mitigation, as well as the ability to fire eight shots before requiring a recharge. The ship was also much faster too, roughly twice as fast as before with the newly upgraded engines.

The one technology that hadn't been upgraded yet was the Shaw-Fujikawa Drive. This was due to the fact that SKYNET was focusing more on upgrading the UNSC's defensive capabilities, though it did state that it would upgrade the Shaw-Fujikawa Drive when it could. In fact, it sent a message to ONI requesting the boarding and capture of a Covenant ship, which would allow it to analyze the Covenant's Borer Drives in order to upgrade the Shaw-Fujikawa Drive. As far as Keyes could remember, ONI had approved of the AI's request, and had sent a Prowler out on that mission. _I hope they succeed, for our sakes,_ Keyes thought. _Having faster Slipspace Drives would allow us to negate the Covenant's FTL advantage._ That brought him to the current situation that they were in now, as Keyes found himself looking out of the ship's viewports, made of a transparent nanocomposite SKYNET had designed, at the object in front of them. Superficially speaking, the object resembled a wedding ring, only without the diamond on the top. Inside the ring was what looked like landmasses and oceans, with scans revealing, much to his surprise, that there was a breathable atmosphere present. Unfortunately, it appeared as though the architects of the ring were not present, so any questions he had were a moot point to begin with. A moment later, he looked at Cortana, having talked with her a few seconds ago. Cortana was the AI that Noble Team had brought aboard the UNSC _Pillar of Autumn_ a couple weeks ago, after which she was promptly installed into the ships new Neural Net Core, which combined the UNSC's Reinmann Matrix with the Quantum computing the Neural Net Core used. As a result, Cortana was able to process data much faster than an AI using the older technologies, which also resulted in her lifespan increasing from eight years, to roughly the same as a human being, just from the different architecture.

Continuing his conversation with her, he said, "Cortana, all I want to know is did we lose them?"

"I think we both know the answer to that," Cortana replied. Moments later, she pulled up sensor readings of their current location. The gas giant before them was present, along with a gird that showed the distance of the _Autumn_ from the ring they found. Small, red dots were present on the grid, indicating hostile forces that were approaching.

Rubbing the back of his head, where his Neural Lace was at, Keyes sighed. "We made a blind jump. How did they-"

"Get here before us," Cortana finished. "Covenant ships have always been faster. As for after we left Reach, at light speed, my maneuvering options were limited." She shrugged her holographic shoulders to underscore her statement.

"We were running dark, yes," Keyes asked.

"Until we exited Slipspace," Cortana added. "No one could've missed the giant hole we tore in Slipspace. My analysis indicates the Covenant were waiting for us on the other side."

"How long until their fleet encounters ours," Keyes asked. As he said this, he pulled out a small smoking pipe that he had brought along with him. Keyes wasn't a smoker, both out of habit and the fact that the UNSC disallowed smoking on ships during combat operations. Still, the pipe was a family heirloom, and it was one of the things that Keyes had saved when he left Reach. It was a small comfort, but a comfort nonetheless.

"Our fighters are moping up the last of their recon picket, nothing too serious," Cortana replied. "But I am also detecting multiple Covenant _CCS_ -class Battle cruisers on intercept courses, and in ninety seconds, they'll be all over us." Moments later, the trajectories of each red dot appeared, all of which were about to intercept the _Autumn_.

"Well, that's it then," Keyes decided. "Bring the ship back up to Combat Alert State Alpha. I want everyone at their stations."

"Everyone?"

"Everyone," Keyes replied. After a moment, he remembered something. "Oh, and uh, Cortana."

"Hhmmm?"

"Let's give our friend a warm welcome."

"I've already made arrangements."

* * *

Down in one of the vehicle bays, William was looking around at the interior of the place, his eyes darting to and fro as he looked around. He was currently waiting for Sergeant Avery Johnson to swing by and get the troops in order, even though he knew he could get the job done as well. Still, he respected the man greatly, and thus, had decided to allow him to take point. His mind drifted back to when they left Reach. After they left the doomed planet, Noble Team had gone into cryo, while Carter had been taken to the infirmary to get his injuries treated more thoroughly. During this time, Kalinda, taking on the form and appearance of a UNSC Marine, had been working with the various drones and HK drones in order to ensure the ship ran smoothly, while coming up with defensive plans in the event the ship was boarded, which was about to happen if the alarms blaring were any indication. Parsons, the Terminator that had come along for the ride, had gotten his living tissue sheath back on, as the _Autumn_ was retrofitted with a facility that allowed T-850L's to gain access to a living tissue sheath. This helped many of the T-850L's aboard the ship to become more relatable to the crew, with many Marines and ODST's giving those Terminators names and nicknames. Parsons, for instance, was called 'Pops' due to the fact that he was the oldest T-850L onboard the ship. As for the Engineers, they had gone to work upgrading what they could, including the MJOLNIR Powered Armor that the SPARTAN-III's and SPARTAN-II's had, with the Captain's permission, of course. _All of this is thanks to SKYNET, which is ironic given what happened in my world,_ William thought. When he heard that SKYNET was still alive and well, he nearly had a panic attack, which was stopped when he learned that SKYNET was no longer a genocidal AI. In fact, since it's directives had been rewritten, it had been _crucial_ in assisting the UNSC in it's defense against the Covenant. _I'll still be getting used to the idea of a friendly SKYNET,_ he thought _. As long as it helps Humanity survive, then I'll give it a chance to star anew._ The PA sounded off as Cortana began ordering infantry divisions to head to other parts of the ship. Spotting Johnson, William walked over towards him, only to stop when a _Warthog_ drove in front of him.

Waiting for the vehicle to pass, William caught up with Johnson, just as the man shouted, "You heard her Marines! Move like you've got a purpose!"

"This is not a drill," Cortana announced over the shipwide intercom. "I repeat: this is not a drill." Moments later, a squad of UNSC Marines, decked out in the new armor SKYNET had designed, lined up on either side of Johnson, ready for the briefing.

"We've got some news boys," Johnson told the Marines. "The Covenant have found themselves something that has them so riled up, they're having wet dreams about it. I don't care if it's one hell of an anti-son-of-a-bitch machine, or a giant hula-hoop, 'cause we ain't gonna let them have it! What we will let them have, is a pool of their own blood to lie in. We'll tear out their heads, and throw away their spines while laughing! Am I right, Marines?!"

"Sir, yes sir," the other Marines shouted.

"Mmhmm, damn right I am. Now move it out! Double time!" Turning to William, Johnson said, "William, Captain wants you to get to the Cryo-Bay ASAP."

"Roger that," William replied. "Give 'em hell for me, will ya?"

"I certainly will," Johnson replied. Walking towards where the Marines had gone off to, he shouted, "All you greenhorns who wanted to see Covenant up close, this is gonna be your lucky day!" With that, he proceeded to follow them as well.

* * *

Up in the observation room for the Cryo Bay, Foster and Sam were monitoring the vital signs of the Spartans, making sure nothing out of the ordinary happened. So far, all was well, though Foster did find himself looking nervously at the T-850L's that were in the room, with two guarding the entrance to the Observation/Control room for the Cryo Bay. While he knew they were friendly, and wouldn't hesitate to die for the UNSC, he found the idea of a skeletal looking machine as a guardian to be a little unnerving. Moments later, Foster thought he noticed the door down below opening up. Moments later, a man wearing ODST armor walked inside, the I/FF tag identifying him as UNSC Sergeant William Torrance. Foster relaxed at the I/FF reading, more so when he heard William say, "I'm here as requested, Captain. Ready to get these guys defrosted." Confirming that was a communique from Cortana, with the message stating, **Unseal the hushed casket.**

"Sir," Sam asked Foster.

"I hear you," Foster replied. "Let's wake him up."

"OK," Sam replied. "Activating hibernation termination procedure. Initiating casket opening procedure." Spotting some steam, he said, "He's hot! Opening the casket in five… four… three… two… one..."

Down in the cryotube, Chief groaned slightly as he woke up from his cryonic induced slumber, his limbs stiff from disuse. He had the weirdest dream while he was asleep, which involved him fighting back with T-850L's against some unseen foe. He'd been woken up just as they were about to crush the enemy, with the dream fading into blackness moments later. All around, the members of Noble Team also groaned as he woke up from their cryogenic induced slumber.

"Good morning, Chief," came a voice. Looking in that direction, Chief spotted Sergeant William Torrance standing nearby, having been ordered by Keyes to come down to the bay. "I'll be your escort once you've woken up fully."

"Sorry for the quick thaw, Master Chief," Foster, who walked in seconds later, told him. "Things are a little hectic right now. The disorientation should pass quickly."

"Welcome back, sir," Sam, who was still up in the observation room, called out over the COM. "It's good to have you back."

"What about the others," Chief asked.

"We're here as well," Jorge remarked, popping a few joints as he stretched his stiff limbs, having gotten out of his cryopod. "Never did enjoy cryosleep. Always found it to be annoying."

"The price we pay for FTL flight," Emile remarked, rolling his neck as he sat up.

"Oh, cut it out," Kat teased. "At least it's better than what would've happened if we stayed." The mood grew somber again as they remembered the last few days of Reach.

It was with that somber mood that the rest of the Spartans got out of the cryopods and began going through the various checkups and diagnostics they always did when getting out of cryosleep. Chief noticed that the Engineers, or Huragok as the Covenant called them, had done some major improvements to his armor. The shields recharged faster than normal, the armor plating was in better shape, and they had modified the crystalline matrix in his suit that allowed for a ship grade AI to be stored inside his armor, bringing it more in-line with a smaller version of the Neural Net Core that SKYNET used.

As they finished the checkups, Keyes came in over the COM. "Bridge to Cryo Bay Two. Send the Master Chief here immediately."

"But sir," Foster protested. "We'll have to skip the weapons diagnostics and-"

"On the double, crewman," Keyes firmly stated.

"Aye, aye, sir," Foster replied. Turning to Chief, and the others, he said, "The Skipper's a little jumpy. We'll find you weapons later."

"I'll stay here to keep the suit checks running," Sam added. "Then I'll-" He was promptly interrupted when he heard a banging sound on the door. "Oh, fuck! They're trying to get through the door!" Almost immediately, one of the four T-850L's in the room grabbed Sam and began escorting him out of the room, while the other three T-850L's got into position, weapons at the ready.

The doors burst inwards moments later, with shrapnel flying into the room, only to bounce off the T-850L's chassis'. Moments later, Covenant weapons fire streamed out into the room, with the T-850L's returning fire almost immediately. Chief could hear the warble of the weapons firing off as the Terminators advanced, pushing upwards towards the enemy.

"Oh, shit," Foster shouted. "Come one, we have to get the hell out of here!" Opening a door, he shouted, "This way!"

"Wait," Noble Six shouted. Following the crewman, they entered a hallway that had a pipe junction on the other side. Just as Foster reached the door, there was a massive explosion, which sent the crewman hurtling down the hallway towards them. It was clear that he was dead, as a part of his head was missing. "Fuck," Six groaned. "It's always the guy ahead that gets killed first."

"We can't focus on that right now," Chief told Six. "What we can do is get to the bridge. Where's Sergeant William?"

"Over here," came a shout. Turning to his left, Chief watched as William clambered over the pipes. "Come on, slowpokes. We've got to get to the bridge. Follow me." Taking the cue, Chief and the others followed William.

As they traveled towards the bridge, Chief could clearly see other upgrades to the _Autumn_ that were making a difference. As soon as the Covenant boarded, automated sentry turrets had deployed from the ceiling, with each weapon spewing out phased plasma bolts at the enemy. Covenant personnel fell like flies, even as bulkhead doors began to close, sealing off sections of the ship. Spotting a doorway, Chief and the others went inside, following William through. Said hallway led to a door, which opened up to reveal two Elite Zealots that had gotten this far into the ship. Spotting the Spartans, one of the aliens roared angrily, just as phased plasma bolts began impacting it's shields. Distracted by the incoming fire, the alien turned it's anger on the Marines nearby, allowing William and the others to move past the aliens and to the Marine's position, who closed and locked the door as soon as the Spartans were through. Continuing to move up, they passed by crewman and Marines that were firing phased plasma weaponry at the Covenant, keeping the aliens from advancing any further into the ship. One of the Marines, identified as Pvt. Chips Dubbo by his armor, spotted the group coming. "Sirs, Captain wants y'all on the bridge ASAP! Better follow me!" Heading out, the group followed Dubbo until they reached the entrance to the bridge. "Go ahead, Captain's waiting."

"Thanks," William replied. Moving on, they entered the bridge, which was a hive of activity.

Chief walked up towards Keyes, who was monitoring the situation as well as the enemy fleet. Chief waited until Keyes was done before speaking. "Captain Keyes."

Turning around, Keyes smiled grimly as he shook Chief's hand. "Good to see you, Master Chief," he remarked. "Things aren't going well. Cortana did her best, but we never really had a chance."

Moments later, Cortana's avatar, a beautiful blue woman with black hair, appeared over the holopedestal on the bridge. "A half dozen _CCS-_ class Battle Cruisers against an upgraded _Halcyon_ -class Light Cruiser. With those odds, I'm content with three," she paused to assimilate some new data before saying, "make that four kills." Turning around to face Chief, she asked, "Sleep well?"

"No thanks to your driving, yes," Chief replied, trying to one up her on witty remarks.

Either it wasn't a good attempt, or it flew over Cortana's head, as she simply said, "So you did miss me? What about the others?"

"Just fine," Emile remarked. "How's Carter?"

"Fully recovered and ready to fight," Cortana replied.

As soon as she said, the entire ship shuddered, as though a giant baseball bat had whacked the side of the ship. Keyes stumbled forwards, gripping the command console before him to steady himself, while Chief and the others managed to keep their balance. Looking up, Keyes shouted, "Report!"

"It must have been one of their boarding parties," Cortana assessed. "I think that was an antimatter charge."

"Ma'am," one of the ensigns shouted. "Fire control for the main cannon's offline! The Repair drones are on it, but the gun's disabled for the time being!"

"Captain, the MAC was my last defensive option," Cortana reported.

Keyes sighed. It was clear what the Covenant were planning, and that meant his hand had been forced. "Alright," he decided. "I'm initiating Article 2 of the Cole Protocol: we're abandoning the _Autumn_. That goes for you too, Cortana."

"While you what, go down with the ship," Cortana asked.

"In a manner of speaking," Keyes remarked, putting his pipe in his mouth for a moment. "The object we found. I'm going to land the _Autumn_ on it."

"With all due respect, Captain," Cortana protested, "this war has had enough dead heroes."

"I appreciate your concern, Cortana, but it's not up to me," Keyes replied. "Protocol is clear. Destruction or capture of the ship AI is unacceptable, and that means you're leaving the ship. Lock in a series of emergency landing coordinates, upload them to my neural lace, and then sort yourself for a hard transfer."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Cortana replied, her hologram shimmering out of existence a moment later.

Turning to Chief and the others, Keyes said, "Which is where you come in, Chief. Get Cortana off this ship. If the Covenant capture her, they'll learn everything. Force deployments, weapons research… Earth."

"I understand," Chief replied.

"Good," Keyes replied. Turning towards William, he said, "Sergeant William. You will assist Chief in getting Cortana off this ship. If you can, bring your Terminator friend along as well, you'll need the extra firepower. Noble Six will go with you as assistance as well. The rest of Noble Team will link up with Carter and assist in evacuating the ship. Understood?"

"Understood," William replied.

Moments later, Cortana appeared over the holopedestal again. "The _Autumn_ will continue evasive maneuvers until all personnel are off the ship," she reported. "Not that you'll listen, but I suggest allowing my subroutines to handle the final approach."

"Excellent work, Cortana," Keyes beamed. "Thank you. You ready?"

For a few seconds, Cortana took a moment to look around. She had the feeling that this was the last time she would see the ship in a long while. After looking around, she said, "Yank me."

With that, Keyes began pressing in a series of commands into the ship computer, allowing Cortana to disengage from the Neural Net Core onboard the _Autumn_. Walking over to the holopedestal, Keyes pressed in a few commands before pulling something out, which turned out to be the chip that stored Cortana while she wasn't inside the NNC. Turning to Chief, he said, "Good luck, Master Chief," before handing the chip over to Chief. Taking it out of Keyes' hands, Chief inserted the chip into the back of his helmet, allowing Cortana to upload herself into the suit.

"Hhmm, your suit's architecture isn't that different from the _Autumn's_ ," Cortana remarked.

"Don't get any funny ideas," Chief replied.

"Perish the thought," Cortana replied. "I was just making a simple observation."

While she said this, Chief heard a more familiar sound: the sound of a phased plasma weapon being loaded. Looking up, he watched as Keyes handed him an M6E Phased Plasma Pistol, though it was clear the mag was partially depleted. "I don't keep it loaded son," Keyes explained. "You'll have to find ammo as you go."

Chief nodded as most of the Spartans left the bridge, leaving only William and Six with him. "Let's go," Chief remarked, with Six and William following closely behind. As they exited the bridge, Chief thought he could hear some nervous chattering, along with feet clattering on the ground. Wordlessly, William, as he was armed with an MA5E, got into position with Chief and stepped out moments later, weapons at the ready. The Grunts that were standing outside of the bridge entrance were not prepared in the slightest for what was about to happen. As soon as Chief and William came out of cover, they immediately fired their weapons, killing the Grunts before they had a chance to react. With the enemy contacts down, Chief moved up, picking up an MA5E that was lying on the ground before entering the nearby cafeteria.

The Cafeteria was a buzz of activity, as the Marines and Terminators inside were valiantly fighting back against Covenant personnel, firing their phased plasma weaponry at the Covenant forces moving inside. "Those Marines look like they could use your help, Chief," Cortana told him. Nodding in agreement, Chief moved up and opened fire, peppering the enemy with phased plasma munitions. Behind him, Six managed to find another MA5E, opening fire on the Covenant moments later. It was clear that the upgrades that SKYNET had research were paying off in spades, as the UNSC Marines were actually standing a chance against the Covenant forces. Purple plasma bolts zipped through the air, impacting Covenant shields and armor while blue plasma bolts flew past the Marines, who quickly ducked in and out of cover to avoid being hit. Moving up, Chief fired off a burst of plasma, killing a few Grunts that were firing on the Marines, while William, being the more aggressive individual, began neutralizing the Elites, kicking one in the face as he vaulted over a table. Behind them, Six took out any remaining hostiles with precision shots from his MA5E, having put the weapon into semiautomatic mode.

With all hostile contacts down, Chief and the others moved up. It was clear that the T-850L's on the ship were making a huge difference, as Chief spotted one killing a whole squad of Covenant personnel, including the Elite leading them. "Hey, look at that," a Marine shouted. "The calvary's arrived."

As soon as he said this, the ship shuddered, an explosion rocking the ship. "What the hell?! Did something hit us," a Marine shouted.

"Move in, back to the airlock," another Marine shouted. Moving forwards, Chief watched as two Marines stood back from the airlock to the escape pod, weapons trained on the door. Just then, one Marine spotted something, most likely a plasma charge, and shouted, "Shit!", before attempting to get away. It was too little, too late. Both men screamed in agony as the door exploded inwards, their bodies crushed and cooked by the heat and pressure wave from the plasma charge's detonation. More Covenant streamed inside of the ship, trampling over the dead Marines to get at the Chief. Chief fired on the Covenant with cold, calculating precision, killing the smaller aliens while William and Six focused fire on the larger ones. The sentry turret in the ceiling opened fire as well, allowing the squad to quickly terminate the group.

Looking back at the port as he reloaded, Chief could see the interior of the Covenant Boarding craft. "They're using our lifeboat airlocks to land their boarding craft," Cortana observed. "We go out, they come in. Clever bastards."

 _Indeed_ , was all Chief thought. Moving onward, Chief spotted more Covenant personnel incoming to his position. Moving onward, he continued to engage them, with William and Six providing support.

As they made their way through the ship, it was clear that the Terminators were paying for themselves, as whole sections of Covenant units had been wiped out. It wasn't a one sided fight, as Chief spotted some Terminators that had fallen victim to overwhelming numbers and or bad luck. Still, the amount of Covenant the Terminators had killed was significantly higher than the number of Terminators that had been rendered inoperable. Moving up some more, Chief engaged more Covenant personnel, taking them out before engaging the Elite in the back, killing it instantly. Crouching down through a partially open door, Chief spotted two crewmen running towards his position, with a whole squad of Covenant troops coming in behind them. Taking cover, Chief dodged some plasma fire, before popping out of cover and firing his own plasma weapon. Behind him, Six and William engaged as well. Between the trio, the Grunts were quickly neutralized, their nanolaminate armor being overwhelmed by the volume of fire being tossed at them. The Elites were harder to deal with, as they quickly took cover and began firing from cover, using the interior of the ship to protect themselves. Moving up, Chief shoulder rammed one of the Elites, while Six fired on the other one as soon as it popped out, allowing Chief to terminate the other Elite with relatively little difficulty. Continuing to move up, Chief found that they were quickly approaching an access route to the upper deck in the area. "Covenant, on the landing above us," Cortana shouted, prompting Chief to look up. As soon as he did, he watched as an Austrian male in his late 20's to early 30's walked into view, holding an V-95H in his hands.

Moments later, the Terminator, as Chief recognized him from the reports, opened fire on the Covenant on and below the landing. Phased plasma bolts streaked out of the barrels of the V-95H, incinerating anything that happened to be in the way. Several Covenant were immediately taken out, allowing the Marines in the room to move up, with the Terminator firing the weapon once they were out of the way. As more Covenant poured in through blast doors, the Terminator took them out as well, using it's M319B Grenade Launcher to terminate any that had survived the initial barrage. Spotting the trio of men on the ground, the Terminator walked down to their position, weapon still in hand. "Sergeant Richard Parsons reporting for duty," the Terminator replied. It said Sergeant as it had gotten a promotion once it was on the _Autumn_.

"Good to see you, Parsons," William replied. "You know what you need to do?"

"Yes," the Terminator replied. "The AI known as Cortana must be evacuated from the _Pillar of Autumn_. Capture of Cortana will result in mission failure. We must reach the lifepods before the Covenant can destroy them."

"Agreed," Chief replied. "Move out. Sergeant Parsons, you're with us now. Understood?"

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied, turning around and marching back up the stairs once more. The squad continued through the rest of the ship like this, firing their plasma weaponry at any Covenant forces that were in the way. Eventually, they reached a section of the ship where the lifepods hadn't launched yet.

Just then they heard Keyes say, "All hands, this is the Captain speaking. We're abandoning ship. Combat Teams, divert Covenant boarders until all personnel are away. Good luck, Keyes out." The intercom fell silent a moment later.

They quickly arrived at a loading area for the lifepods, but it was clear they were too late for these, as their airlocks were closed. "The lifepods are launching, we have to hurry," Cortana shouted. Entering the area, they heard her say, "Warning: Blast Doors closing." Chief heard a quiet _clunk_ as the blast doors hermetically sealed themselves shut, preventing any form of escape from the ship in this area.

Up ahead, he spotted about four Grunts that were absentmindedly milling about, unaware of their presence. Firing his MA5E, Chief quickly neutralized each one, ending their lives in a very short manner. Looking outside, Chief watched as a life pod began heading at flank speed to the ring, only to be blasted out of existence by a Covenant energy beam. "The Covenant are destroying the life pods," Cortana noted. "They really don't want us on that ring."

"There are lifepods in another section of the ship," the Terminator reported to them. "We will access the maintenance corridors to access the remaining lifepods. Follow me." Following the Terminator, they found the entrance to one of the maintenance corridors that lined the interior of the ship, punching in a series of numbers that allowed the door to open. Moments later, the others followed the Terminator inside.

The interior of the maintenance corridors was dark, with only red lighting casting barely enough to see by. **Image Enhancement Engaged,** the Terminator's systems reported, with the corridor becoming visible to it moments later. "We need to find a safe exit," Cortana told Chief. "Activating Motion Tracker." Moments later, a blue circle in the lower left corner of Chief's HUD appeared, with William, Six and the Terminator showing up as yellow dots, meaning friendlies. Approaching a locked exit, Chief watched as his motion tracker picked up a swarm of red dots, while he spotted Covenant troops on the other side. "We're too close," Cortana reported. "We need to find a different exit." Backing off, he traveled to another door, only to find it was surrounded by enemies as well. That was when he noticed a door that led to a dark room. "Motion Tracker shows all clear here," Cortana reported; with that in mind, Chief moved to the door, but it jammed halfway open when it lost power. Taking a hold of both doors, Chief forced them open as quietly as he could, allowing the others through before closing it up, blocking any chance of pursuit. The room was damaged and poorly lit. The only source of light was a door that was damaged from an explosion, which had left a crater in one of the walls. Electrical cables dangled in the crater, sending sparks cascading down when they touched something conductive. "I'm reading a hostile contact in the corridor ahead," Cortana reported. "Analyzing. This door appears to have been damaged by an explosion. I recommend…" Before she could finish, the Terminator tore the doors open, before advancing out into the hallway. Shrugging her digital shoulders, Cortana remained silent as the Terminator moved up, rounding the corner while the others caught up. A loud _SNAP_ emanated from around the corner, with Chief rounding the corner to find the Terminator disposing of the body of a Grunt in a nearby cubby hole. With the Grunt neutralized, the team moved up to find themselves approaching more Covenant forces. Pulling out it's V-95H, the Terminator stepped into view and opened fire, killing the Grunts before they had a chance to act. The Elites hurled themselves into cover, with the Terminator moving up moments later, while Chief and the others provided suppressing fire. Moments later, the Terminator was hurled into the hallway, with an Elite wrestling the Terminator for the V-95H. Acting fast, the Terminator kicked the alien off of it, snapping it's ribs in the process before pulling out it's M6E, killing the Elite with three, well placed shots. The other Elite was terminated a few moments later.

"You alright," Chief asked the Terminator as it got up.

"Affirmative," the Terminator replied. "My combat chassis is undamaged." With a nod, they moved on.

Eventually, they reached the observation room where Chief's cryopod was at. The Terminators that had been here before were not here, though Chief could hear weapons fire off ahead of them. Looking down into the cryobay, Chief could see a literal horde of Elites in the room below. "It looks like they wanted to catch you napping," Cortana remarked dryly. Chief nodded in agreement. It was a good thing he was revived when he was. Moving on, they spotted another Elite in a room nearby. Chief was about to fire at the Elite when an explosion tore through the area, shredding the Elite and sending debris at them. "Go," the Terminator shouted, rushing through the place while Chief and the others moved up, taking cover as explosions rang out. "Really," Cortana remarked. "Ask yourself a question. Is what I am doing right now, helping Cortana from blowing into tiny, tiny bits?"

"Not now," William shouted as an explosion rang out, nearly shattering his armor's shields. Spotting another maintenance corridor, William charged into it, with Chief, Six and the Terminator following behind him. As soon as the doors closed, another explosion rang out, rocking that area of the ship.

Eventually, they came out of the maintenance shaft, where a number of Covenant personnel were fighting against the T-850L's on board the ship. Small HK Drones were present as well, firing phased plasma weapons at the Covenant forces. Firing their weapons, Chief and the rest of the squad continued to move up, reaching another lifepod area. "There's one last lifepod," Cortana shouted. "Quick! Before it launches!" Taking her advice, Chief charged towards it.

Just behind him, there was an explosion, just as a UNSC Marine hurled himself forwards. "Oh, no," he shouted. "Oh, no!" He lay on the ground, just as Chief grabbed the man and hurled him into the lifepod, with the Terminator and the others getting inside moments later. The interior of the lifepod was different than that of the original design. The crash harnesses had been significantly upgraded, with stronger, better restraints and advanced cushioning technologies to allow a person to survive a crash landing, even if the air brakes failed. The cockpit had a number of miniature computer monitor screens, showing the status of the pod, it's armor, as well as a number of other important statistics for a pilot. The main upgrades had been to the exterior, which included better armor, a heavily reinforced structure and upgraded air brakes that could withstand a significant amount of trauma before failing.

Following the rest of the team inside, Chief too hold of one of the hand holds inside the life pod and told the pilot, "Punch it."

"Aye, aye, sir," the lifepod pilot replied, slapping her visor down. Moments later, there was a loud, metallic, _POP_ as the life pod launched off from the _Autumn._ "We're clear of the _Autumn_. Going for minimum safe distance."

"Sir, are we going to be alright," the Marine that Franklin saved asked. "I don't wanna die out here."

Chief simply put a hand on the man's shoulder, which reassured the man. "Look," Cortana told Chief, prompting him to head to the life pod's cockpit. Gazing out the viewport, he watched as the life pod quickly approached the object they'd found.

"What the h*ll is that thing," a Marine asked.

"Hell if I know," the pilot replied, "but we're landing on it."

"The _Autumn_ ," a Marine shouted. "She's been hit!"

"I knew it," Cortana said as the Chief looked out the lifepod's rear viewports. "The _Autumn's_ accelerating. Keyes is going in manually." Looking out, Chief and the others watched as the ship surged forwards. Plasma bursts impacted the hull, but the _Autumn_ continued to move forwards, shooting past the life pod and making a beeline to the ring. It's own plasma armament fired off as well, damaging any Covenant ships that got too close.

"Heads up, lock yourselves in," the Pilot shouted. "We're entering the ring's atmosphere in five." Moments later, Chief felt the life pod beginning to shudder as it began to reenter the ring's atmosphere. There was brief wisp of blue light, then the pod was slowly surrounded by a white-hot sheath of plasma as the pod began rubbing into the atmosphere.

"You think we'll make it," Cortana asked Chief in a moment of uncertainty.

"We'll be fine," Chief replied. Crouching down, he began bracing for impact.

"If I still had fingers, they'd be crossed," Cortana remarked. At the same time, William, Six and the Terminator braced as well. **Odds Of Survival: 70.9%,** the Terminators systems calculated. With that in mind, the Terminator locked it's joints and braced for the upcoming impact.


End file.
